Glass QAM-' 
Book Cfe\ h 
Cppyright"N? 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSHV 



R. T. COOPER. 



Who was unlawfully expelled on unsigned documents from the ministry and member- 
ship of the M. E. Church at Minneapolis, Minn., May 28, 1912. 



Jesuitism in Methodism 



OR 

e Ecclesiastical Politics of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church under Lime Light 



By 

RUFUS T. COOPER 



SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 



Copyright, 1915 

BY 

Rufus T. Cooper 



NATIONAL CAPITAL PRESS, INCORPORATED 
BOOK MANUFACTURERS 



JUN 14 1915 



©CIA401390 



Dedication 

THE author gratefully appreciates 
the manifold kindnesses of his 
many friends in his fight for justice 
and vindication. He hereby dedicates 
this book to these royal and loyal 
saints scattered throughout the entire 
United States of America. 



Rufus T. Cooper. 



County of Hampden 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

I, Rufus T. Cooper, hereby solemnly declare that 
every statement contained in this book is true to the 
best of my knowledge and belief. 

I will gladly go into any court of either civil or 
ecclesiastical authority to meet any aggrieved party. 

Rufus T. Cooper. 




Sworn to and subscribed in my presence this 29th 
day of January, 1915. 

Frank E. Carpenter, 

Notary Public. 



INTBODUCTION 



The author has had the burden of writing this 
book on his mind and heart since the close of the 
last General Conference at Minneapolis, Minne- 
sota, May 29, 1912. The growing spirit of Jesuit- 
ism in Methodism is working intense harm to the 
spiritual life of the church, causing the high 
standard of the church to be lowered. A growing 
lack of respect and reverence for our chief pastors 
is everywhere apparent, and the time is not far 
distant, if these Jesuitical tendencies continue, 
when there will be a general breaking up of the 
church of John Wesley. Not alone for his own 
woes, but for the sad estate of others, has the task 
of writing this book been undertaken. The great 
menace to soul liberty in Episcopal Methodism 
today is the Board of Bishops. An ecclesiastical 
life-time of power has made this body of privi- 
leged men feel that they own the church. Matters 
have been going from bad to worse. The Bishops 
have so meddled in the affairs of the chtirch in 
screening unholy men from punishment, of inflict- 
ing hardships on those who had a spark of inde- 
pendence, and of literally crushing those who 
thought along advanced lines in theological mat- 
ters, that a constantly growing revolt is apparent 
all along the line. 



vi 



JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



The last General Conference exhibited a decided 
democratic trend in curtailing the power of these 
would-be Popes. The next General Conference 
is sure to continue this good-begun work. Let us 
all pray that the day is not far distant when John 
Wesley's intention will be carried out, and our 
.Bishops will have a realization of the fact that 
ithey are but General Superintendents of the great 
Methodist Episcopal Church, "Primus inter 
pares." 

It is the writer 's fond hope that a band of con- 
secrated delegates at the coming General Confer- 
ence session will dare to take the bull by the 
horns, and in some way right these grievous 
wrongs. "To do and dare" should be the watch- 
word of the approaching General Conference at 
Saratoga Springs, New York. 

From his birthplace at East Weymouth, Massa- 
chusetts, to the last charge served in his ministry 
at Hillsville, Pennsylvania, the writer has dili- 
gently searched for evidence against his char- 
acter. Being found blameless he can say with 
the inspired writer, "Having obtained help of 
God I continue unto this day." 

In closing this introduction to "Jesuitism in 
Methodism" the writer will say that owing to the 
/fact that six of the parties involved in this ecclesi- 
astical tragedy have already gone to "their own 
place" and two of the conspirators, Eev. E. N. 
Askey transferred to the Puget Sound Confer- 



INTRODUCTION 



vii 



ence, and Dr. E. E. Higley to the Des Moines 
Conference, are out of "harm's way," it will not 
be expedient for the writer to prosecute his case 
before earthly tribunals, but as the "Judge of the 
whole earth" will do right, the case will be left 
in His hands. 

Spbikgfield, Mass., 
January 27, 1915. 



Jesuitism in Methodism 



That truth is stranger than fiction will be 
clearly manifested in the following pages. Igna- 
tius Loyola and Francis Xavier, the founders and 
leaders of the Society of Jesuits in the Eoman 
Catholic Church, were both men of pure lives and 
holy ambitions. Their object was to advance the 
ends and aims of the Eoman Catholic Church. If 
their successors went too far and brought the 
Society of Jesus into disrepute, and caused in- 
tensely zealous Protestants to accuse the Jesuits 
of holding the doctrine, "The End Justifies the 
Means, ' 9 the same charge can be justly maintained 
against the ecclesiastical politics of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

John Wesley was a man pure in life, and holy 
in purpose. Seeing the low spiritual condition 
into which the Church of England had fallen, his 
heart took fire, and being shut out from the 
Church, he went everywhere preaching Evangel- 
ical Christianity. His followers so increased that 
he was compelled to organize the Society of 
Methodists ; a Society within the Church of Eng- 
land, whose object was to spread Scriptural Holi- 
ness all over the earth. By the faithful preaching 
of the gospel, by establishing book concerns, by an 
itinerant ministry, by thoroughly organized mis- 
sionary effort, in less than two centuries Episco- 

i 



2 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



pal Methodism has become the largest Protestant 
denomination in the world, and the largest mis- 
sionary society on earth. 

John Wesley clearly intended there should be 
no caste system in the Methodist Ministry, and 
compelled his preachers to pay back into the Com- 
mon Fund all money paid to the preachers in ex- 
cess of sixty-four dollars a year. Allowing for 
the advanced cost of living, how much of their 
salaries ought our chief pastors, the Bishops, to 
pay back into the Common Treasury? Many other 
questions will be raised in this book, and the 
author hopes the faithful perusal of these pages 
will inspire the loyal Methodists to go back to the 
teachings of Christ and Wesley. 

It is the usual custom of an author who is 
writing from an autobiographical standpoint to 
give the place of his birth, his age, the names of 
his parents, number in the family and so forth. 
The writer was born in the parsonage of the 
jMethodist Episcopal Church at East Weymouth, 
Massachusetts, the ninth of thirteen children. In 
intellect no wiser than many others, by force of a 
chain of circumstances he earned his clothing 
from eight years of age, and generally found out 
by hard knocks the full valuation of a dollar. By 
the death of his father, the author at seventeen 
years of age was obliged to leave school and earn 
his entire living. By dint of economy he saved 
the casti to re-enter school, and at twenty-one 



JESUITISM IN METHODISM 3 

years of age graduated from the New England 
Southern Conference Seminary at East Green- 
wich, Ehode Island, as valedictorian of his class. 
By working another year, Wesleyan University 
at Middletown, Connecticut, was entered, and two 
very profitable years were spent there. By the 
breaking health of his mother, the writer left col- 
lege to take up the work of supporting the family, 
studying hard between times to keep up his col- 
lege work. By a providential course of circum- 
stances after a year Drew Theological Seminary 
at Madison, New Jersey, was entered. In three 
years the writer was graduated with honor, and 
entered the full ministry of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. 



GOING TO AN ANNUAL CONFEEENCE 



From a child the author watched his father's 
preparation of going to an Annual Conference. 
One week was usually allotted to the holding of 
the Conference session; that God Himself made 
all the appointments was instilled into the minds 
of Methodist people. Sometimes a crushing blow 
was administered to a faithful pastor, as well as 
to his needy family, in the reading of the appoint- 
ments. The Presiding Elders then, and the Dis- 
trict Superintendents now, were the advisers of 
the Bishop, who was recognized as the mouth- 
piece of God. When the appointments were read 
God spoke through the mouth of the Bishop, and 
every pastor went to his work, sent there by God 
Himself. The delicate work of "fixing' 9 the ap- 
pointments has always been a trying task for a 
conscientious Bishop. With a Cabinet composed 
of the presiding elders or district superintend- 
ents, men of great human tendencies, his task oft- 
times has been greatly complicated, because of 
the relatives and personal friends of the Cabi- 
net who must be taken care of. The Bishop has 
to both pray and perspire as he strives to pound 
"square pegs into round holes, and round pegs 
into square holes." A hush of death comes over 
the closing session of the Annual Conference, as 
the minute business is finished, the final devo- 

4 



GOING TO AN ANNUAL OONFEEENOE 5 



tional services held, and the Bishop rises to read 
out each man to his work for the ensuing year. 
Tears and sobs are heard in different parts of the 
house as afflicting appointments are read out. A 
drop of a few hundred dollars on a previously 
meager salary is a great hardship to a struggling 
pastor's family. 

A Eoman Catholic Bishop would never pre- 
sume to take a priest who had done faithful and 
acceptable work, and degrade him in his rank. 
The Eoman Catholic Bishop either leaves the 
priest to enjoy the fruits of his labors, or ad- 
vances him to a higher position. Unlike the 
Methodist Bishop, the Eoman Catholic Bishop is 
obliged to appoint a priest in his own diocese, and 
cannot fill a large church made vacant by trans- 
ferring a priest from another diocese, and thus 
fill the vacancy. Sometimes from ten to twenty 
promotions are made to fill one vacant church. 
How different it is in our beloved Methodism. 
Vest pocket transfers are carried about by our 
greatly esteemed Bishops, and the door of pro- 
motion is closed to the faithful and hard-working 
members of an Annual Conference, as the Bishops 
give to the transfers the rich plums of the Con- 
ference. Yet we say Eomanism is monarchical, 
and Methodism is democratical. With a keen 
recollection of these things, my sainted mother 
begged the writer not to enter the ministry of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, when she had 



6 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



learned that the late Kev. John W. Beach, D. D., 
of Wesleyan University, was pleading with her 
son to become a Methodist preacher, because 
President Beach plainly saw that God had called 
the writer to the work of the Christian Ministry, 
Just as Methodism believes that God makes the 
appointments, so also does she believe that every 
man appointed is called of God to go to the ap- 
pointment. Sometimes peculiar conditions pre- 
vail between the candidate for the appointment 
and the people to be served. Not long ago at a 
Southern Negro Conference a "certain brother" 
was hard to be stationed, but he persisted in say- 
ing that God had called him to the work of the 
Christian Ministry. "State your call," said the 
Bishop presiding. "I had a dream," said the 
colored brother; "in letters of fire I saw the let- 
ters, G. P. C." "What did they mean?" said the 
Bishop. "Go preach Christ," said the colored 
brother. "I don't doubt," said the Bishop, "that 
you saw these letters, but you have misinterpreted 
theln. They meian, 'Go pick cotton; Go plow 
corn.' " 

One more incident. Some years ago in the New 
York East Conference a brother was hard to 
station ; he told his presiding elder that God had 
/called him to preach. 6 6 Evidently, ' 9 said the blunt 
presiding elder, "the Lord has not called the peo- 
ple to hear you. ' ' According to the proper ecclesi- 
astical authorities of the New York East Confer- 



GOING TO AN ANNUAL CONFEKENCE 7 



ence, E. T. Cooper was called of God to preach, 
and through the kindly offices of President Beach 
fof Wesleyan first an exhorter's license was 
granted by the Middletown, Connecticut, Quar- 
terly Conference, and the gifts, graces and useful- 
ness of R. T. Cooper being duly recognized, the 
ensuing Quarterly Conference made him a local 
preacher. The trial sermon was preached at Say- 
brook Ferry, Connecticut, before a mixed audi- 
ence of Episcopalians, Congregationalists and 
Methodists, in the little Methodist Episcopal 
Church one Sunday evening in June, 1884. As the 
people composing the mixed audience had bought 
my wares sold in my annual summer trips up and 
down the Connecticut River, it was with no little 
trepidation and palpitation of the heart that I 
rose to announce my text, 1 Cor. 1-18. I could 
make no mistake in my sermon as every word had 
been carefully written out, and its delivery occu- 
pied exactly twenty-five minutes. That the Say- 
brook Ferry people sanctioned the judgment of 
the Middletown Quarterly Conference in bestow- 
ing a local preacher 's license on R. T. Cooper I 
was informed by President Beach on my return 
to college. 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFERENCE 



ITS histoey; its geogkaphy 

In 1848 the New York Conference was divided, 
and the State of Connecticut west of the Connecti- 
cut Biver, the narrow strip of territory in West- 
chester County, in New York State bordering on 
Long Island Sound, running from the Connecticut 
State Line to New York City, the churches on the 
east side of Broadway, New York City, and all of 
Long Island, was set off to compose the New 
York East Conference. As before stated, in 
; April, 1886, under the direction of Presiding 
Elder Simmons, I took work on Long Island at 
jBayport and Blue Point, visiting these places 
from Friday evening until Monday morning dur- 
ing the school year at Drew, and spending my 
summer vacation on the island in building up the 
churches. At Bayport a heavy debt rested on 
the church, which with necessary repairs to be 
made amounted to over $2,000. Undaunted by the 
task of raising in a village of four hundred peo- 
ple this sum of money, early in July, 1886, the new 
pastor commenced his labors, and visited one 
hundred and forty-six people; one hundred and 
forty- two of whom donated, and the remaining 
four gave generously at the end of the canvass 
for the church debt, when the sum of one hundred 
and twenty-five dollars was raised to give a gold 

3 



NEW YOEK EAST CONPEEENOE 9 



watch to the pastor, which was presented to him 
at the reopening of the rejuvenated church, Oc- 
tober 17, 1886. A gracious revival began on 
Watch-Night, and in April, 1887, at the session of 
^he New York East Conference, E. T. Cooper was 
received on trial, although he had another year 
at Drew to complete his course. 

To bring the vital facts of Jesuitism in Method- 
ism before the eyes of my readers, I will divide 
my pastoral record in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church into three epochs or periods. By a singu- 
lar coincidence while at Drew Theological Semi- 
nary, I aided a student in November, 1885, in a 
series of revival meetings on Long Island. God 
blessed the work, and as a neighboring charge was 
to have a change of pastors in the following April, 
Presiding Elder Simmons, of blessed memory, 
offered me the appoinment, provided I would sur- 
render the right to the charge previously offered 
me on the Newark District, in whose bounds Drew 
Theological Seminary was located. As the New 
York East Conference is known all over the Metho- 
dist world as the shrine of Methodism, I accepted 
Doctor Simmons 's offer. The second year 
of his appointment at Bayport and Blue Point 
was even more blessed in results than the first 
year. 

A parsonage property near the shore was willed 
to the Bayport Church, to come into possession of 
the church on the death of the aged occupant, 



10 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



which occurred a few years later on. Meanwhile, 
sustained by the active co-operation of the mem- 
bers and friends of the Bayport Church, land next 
to the church was purchased, and now a neat house 
stands on the spot ready to receive every pastor 
appointed to Bayport. The Blue Point Church 
was thoroughly refurnished, and horse sheds were 
built. Because he had done so well on Long Island, 
the New York East Conference thought he ought 
to have another chance to show what he could do. 
Accordingly, Saugatuck, Connecticut, was se- 
lected for his work for the Conference year 1888. 
Here a different proposition confronted the new 
pastor. The 6 'better-to-do' ' people at the morn- 
ings ' services attended church in the next village ; 
if they liked the Methodist Episcopal minister at 
Saugatuck they attended his services in the even- 
ing, Because it was a necessity that he should 
be liked, the new pastor visited every family in 
the village, as the Methodist Episcopal Church 
was the sole representative of Christianity in Sau- 
gatuck. The church took on new life, and the 
people filled the church. Without taking counsel 
with flesh and blood, the pastor drew up a sub- 
scription paper and soon had the funds to pay off 
the debt on the church, and to completely re- 
furnish the edifice. On November 2, 1888, in the 
presence of a packed church, the mortgage was 
burned, and the doxology sung. "How did you 
manage to raise this large sum of money in a 



M. E. CHURCH AT JAMESTOWN, N. Y. 

Where the Erie Conference tried and expelled R. T. Cooper, September 3, 1908. 





EPWORTH M. E. CHURCH AT NEW HAVEN, CONN. 
Dedicated in March, 1893. 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEKENCE 11 



community so divided?" asked Presiding Elder 
Cheney of the pastor. 6 i Everywhere I went, ' ' the 
pastor replied, "I said, 6 1 am the church.' " 

A great revival followed in January, 1889, and 
the membership was nearly doubled. At the ses- 
sion of the Conference of 1889, E. T. Cooper was 
appointed to New Milford, Connecticut, where 
three very happy years were spent. Owing to the 
fact that in the month of May following, a bride 
was to grace the parsonage, both outside and 
inside such improvements were made that Presid- 
ing Elder Cheney walked by the house, not recog- 
nizing the parsonage. Thousands of dollars were 
raised to beautify the church property, and in the 
three years pastorate the church membership, be- 
nevolences, and pastor's salary doubled, and it 
was so reported to Conference by the presiding 
elder. 

Epworth Church at New Haven, Connecticut, 
was to erect a spacious edifice, and in looking over 
the Conference for the right man, E. T. Cooper 
was slated for that charge. He was accordingly 
so read off by Bishop D. A. Goodsell at the ses- 
sion of 1892. If ever a new pastor needed prayers 
to be offered for his success, he needed them at 
this time. Only one hundred and thirteen mem- 
bers were on the roll of the church membership at 
this time, because the old St. Johns Street Church 
in giving birth to Epworth Church was so rent 
with dissensions, that in removing to the East 



12 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



Eock section of the city only a remnant went with 
the new enterprise. A little wooden tabernacle 
stood on the parsonage lot on Edwards Street, and 
a prospective $50,000 edifice was to be erected on 
the corner of Orange and Edwards Streets. "Who 
is sufficient for these things?" was a question ever 
uppermost in the mind of the new pastor. The 
comforting reply, "Our sufficiency cometh from 
God, ' ' was an inspiration, as the pastor in taking 
subscriptions for the new church compassed the 
city more times than the walls of ancient Jericho 
were compassed. 

Twenty-five hundred and eleven persons donated 
toward the building of the church, among whom 
were one hundred and fifty-two Eoman Catholics, 
forty-eight Jews, three Chinese and four Mor- 
mons. Presiding Elder Beach's report to the An- 
nual Conference of 1893, on the dedication of Ep- 
worth Church, will never be forgotten. Once, 
twice, three times was he stopped in the reading 
of his report by storms of applause, especially 
when he said the subscription list of E. T. Cooper 
for Epworth Church "looked like a subscription 
taken up on the Day of Pentecost." Bishop Ninde, 
the presiding Bishop, whose son, Eev. E. S. Ninde, 
D. D., was the writer's classmate at .Wesleyan 
University, called the Epworth Church pastor to 
the platform after the conclusion of the reading 
of Dr. Beach's report, and said, "Brother Cooper, 
first of all I want to congratulate you over your 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEEENCE 13 



great work; second, to ask you a question. I 
came to Danbury (the seat of the Conference) 
via New Haven; I heard that a child in New 
Haven just before the Conference swallowed a 
silver dollar. The best surgeons were employed 
and said, ' There is no hope for the child.' Finally 
one of them exclaimed, 'Oh, happy thought! one 
man remains in the universe who can rescue a 
dollar in its last extremity. Send for Cooper of 
Epworth Church!' Cooper came, simply looked 
at the child, who smiled and coughed up the dollar. 
The grateful parents, ' ' said the Bishop, ' 6 gave you 
that dollar for Epworth Church. Is that true, 
Brother Cooper?" " Simply an old wives' fable," 
was the reply. "But it is true," said the writer, 
"that even in such an emergency as that I could 
have accepted a dollar for Epworth Church." 

Now comes a tragic tale about the pastor of 
Epworth Church. Because of his success in 
spiritual and temporal things, the writer had 
aroused the animosity of two prominent laymen 
of a nearby sister church. One layman was the 
Dean of the Yale Law School, the other, the Head 
of the Associated Charities of New Haven. The 
writer was persuaded by the Mayor of New Haven 
to make an investigation regarding the social evils 
which pervaded the Yale University at that time. 
The city press was filled with stories regarding 
' i specific cases of immorality, ' ' and the writer was 
in the midst of taking subscriptions for the new 



14 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



Epworth Church and thus had every opportunity 
to come in contact with 6 ' all classes and conditions 
of men. 9 9 For eighteen months a private detective 
shadowed the writer, and not until March, 1895, 
did the writer gain any knowledge of what was 
going on. In conjunction with his presiding elder, 
Eev. C. J. North, D. D., he demanded of Assistant 
Attorney Matthewman, who was aiding the parties 
previously mentioned, a 6 ' bill of charges.' 9 Mat- 
thewman, who had placed a memorial window in 
the new church for his deceased mother and had 
never paid for it, said, "There were no charges." 
The writer told Presiding Elder North that Mat- 
thewman could not be trusted. As the term of 
E. T. Cooper with Epworth Church was to ter- 
minate the following April, Matthewman sprung 
a trap just two days before the Annual Conference 
was to begin, claiming that fresh evidence had 
been discovered, and demanding that an investi- 
gation should be held. Owing to the subsequent 
outcome of affairs, we publish in full the report 
contained in the New York Christian Advocate 
of October 3, 1895. 

VINDICATED 

About six months ago an extraordinary scandal 
arose concerning Eufus T. Cooper, pastor of Ep- 
worth Church, New Haven. This scandal was 
sprung upon the public just before the last session 
of New York East Conference. It was impossible 



NEW YORK EAST CONFERENCE 15 



to have a trial in the civil courts at once. The 
minister inculpated asked to be made supernu- 
merary, that he might demand a public trial. 
Finally the presiding elder, the Eev. Crandall J. 
North, addressed an open letter to the district 
attorney. The case was finally brought to trial. 
The accused was acquitted. 

On July 1 a Committee of Inquiry was ap- 
pointed, with functions somewhat similar to those 
of a grand jury — not to try the case, but by in- 
formal investigation to ascertain whether there 
was sufficient probable evidence of the guilt of the 
accused to justify the bringing of formal charges 
against him and the assembling of an ecclesias- 
tical court for his trial. As Mr. Cooper had been 
unusually successful in his work in New Haven, 
and his reputation was without reproach prior to 
this scandal, great interest was felt in the results 
of the prosecution. The following is the commit- 
tee's report: 

6 6 The Committee of Inquiry, appointed to ascer- 
tain on behalf of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
whether there should be a formal ecclesiastical in- 
vestigation of certain accusations made against 
the Eev. Eufus T. Cooper, present the following 
to the Eev. Crandall J. North, Presiding Elder 
of New Haven District, New York East Confer- 
ence, as their finding in the case : 

"1. The Eev. Eufus T. Cooper, in accordance 
with his own demand, was tried in the City Court 



16 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



of New Haven upon the charges made against him, 
and was acquitted. 

* ' 2. The Committee of Inquiry having, with one 
or two exceptions, attended throughout the trial 
in the City Court, carefully observing all the pro- 
ceedings and hearing all the testimony, are unani- 
mously agreed that the Court could not in justice 
have rendered any other verdict than that of 
acquittal ; and, furthermore, that the accused was 
innocent of the charges. 

6 ' 3. The prosecution having evidently exhausted 
all its resources in the trial, and no other evidence 
having come to our knowledge, we, the Committee 
of Inquiry, do not find ground for a formal ecclesi- 
astical investigation. 

" Signed at New Haven, Conn., Sept. 25, 1895: 
Nathan G. Cheney, East Pearl Street Church, New 
Haven ; Gardner S. Eldridge, First Church, Wat- 
erbury; Calvin B. Ford, Howard Avenue Church, 
New Haven; Benjamin F. Kidder, Shelton 
Church; Charles P. Marsden, First Church, New 
Haven; Morris W. Prince, Trinity Church, New 
Haven ; William A. Kichards, South Park Church, 
Hartford ; Frank A. Schofield, Grace Church, New 
Haven; Henry E. Wing, Ansonia Church. " 

The presiding elder, in view of the circum- 
stances, has addressed a letter, embodying the re- 
port, to the Evening Leader, of New Haven, in 
introducing which he says : "I am, therefore, care- 
ful to explain that this committee's report is only 
advisory to the presiding elder, and that he is fully 
empowered, upon the appearance of any other 
sufficient evidence, to institute formal ecclesias- 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFERENCE 17 



tical investigation. Let it be clearly understood 
that, although my present convictions are in per- 
fect accord with the report of the Committee of 
Inquiry, if any person has grave charges to bring, 
or evidence upon which they can be based, the 
presentation of these to the presiding elder will 
be promptly followed by the convening of an 
ecclesiastical court for the trial of the case." 

In view of the extraordinary interest in this case 
and the great harm done to the reputation of the 
minister, charging him with a heinous offense 
without adequate, or, indeed, any proof whatever 
that he committed it, we publish the report. Some 
of the ministers whose names are signed to it 
have an almost national reputation in Methodism, 
others are younger men, but for the benefit of all 
concerned we state that they stand as well with 
their brethren of New York East Conference as 
the others stand in that Conference and else- 
where. 

This report came out during the Conference 
week of October, 1895, of the Central New York 
Conference, where E. T. Cooper was transferred 
and stationed at Wellsburgh, New York, after 
Bishop E. Gr. Andrews, in open Conference, had 
explained the reasons for making the transfer. 
By a unanimous vote of the Conference, the trans- 
fer was requested. Now began a struggle for 
existence. Wellsburgh had no parsonage, neither 
was there a house to rent in the village. Storing 



18 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



the household goods in the Sunday School room, 
and living with his family in the church parlors, 
the new pastor challenged the town to build a new 
parsonage, which was begun by the late Eev. C. E. 
Ferguson, completed in March, 1896, and dedi- 
cated by Bishop C. D. Foss free from debt. A 
gracious revival followed, the pastor was returned 
a second year, and left the charge in October, 1897, 
for Lyons, New York, where three profitable years 
were spent, and thousands of dollars were raised 
in beautifying the church property. Here also 
gracious revivals prevailed, and all interests of 
the church were advanced. From this point the 
fortunes of E. T. Cooper, in the New York Central 
Conference, commenced to decline. Because the 
Conference of 1900, with Bishop McCabe, and the 
entire Cabinet wanted him to raise a hundred 
thousand dollars for the Conference Claimants ' 
Fund at a time when Chancellor Day was raising 
the great endowment for the University; E. T. 
Cooper could not see it that way, although he 
was told both by the Bishop and Cabinet that he 
possessed divine gifts, that he could draw blood 
out of a stone, that he could rap anywhere on a 
barn in Central New York and have ten dollars 
passed out to him, nevertheless, he still declined 
the offer. It was clearly the case of the office 
seeking the man, and the man could not be induced 
to run. After repeatedly declining the offer, on the 
last day of the session while temporarily out of 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFERENCE 19 



the Conference, by a unanimous vote the Bishop 
was requested to appoint B. T. Cooper Secretary 
of the Permanent Fund. After firmly declining 
the honor, the Bishop said, "Meet me at the last 
Cabinet meeting at 2 p. m." 

The warmest Cabinet meeting I ever attended 
was held that day at Cazenovia, New York. After 
several pitched battles the writer was released 
from that job, and promised a fourth year at 
Lyons; but read off two hours later for Weeds- 
port, New York, where Eev. Earnest Lynn Wal- 
dorf had won all hearts and was very desirous of 
a return to that charge, as he was backed up by the 
entire official board. A petition of four hundred 
and twenty-eight signatures was brought to Con- 
ference, and presented daily to the Bishop and 
his Cabinet by thirty men with tomahawks in 
hand, and war paint and feathers adorning their 
persons. 

A very peculiar question for a preacher going 
to a new appointment needed to be asked, "What 
family in Weedsport will be most likely to enter- 
tain over the Sabbath the newly appointed pas- 
tor V 9 The name of Undertaker White was sug- 
gested. There I was royally entertained, and shall 
never forget the welcome. The spacious home had 
two wings in either of which lived a son and his 
family. The three men were all on the official 
board and with the other officials had taken oath 
that "they would neither eat nor drink until 



20 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



they had slain the new preacher/ ' The first Sab- 
bath morning brought to the First Methodist Epis- 
copal Church a congregation that completely filled 
the edifice. For all the inhabitants of Weedsport 
were wondering, "What manner of man the Con- 
ference had sent them?" Before announcing the 
text, the pastor said, "I am aware that I have 
come to the most unanimous church in all the Cen- 
tral New York Conference. You were a unit in 
not wanting me here, and I was just as unanimous 
in not wanting to come. I didn't, and the Lord 
knows that I didn't pull a single wire to get the 
appointment to this charge. All who expect to 
stand by the newly appointed pastor can shake 
hands at the close of the morning's services." 
Fully three-quarters of the great congregation re- 
mained to assure the pastor that they would stand 
by him, but the entier official board were con- 
spicuous by their absence. The Conference year 
passed rapidly away, and the record of the year 
showed uniformly large congregations, benevo- 
lences, pastor's salary, and generous additions 
to the membership of the church. The parsonage 
was thoroughly refurnished, and the Woodsport 
Cook Book, with the accompanying Chicken-Pie 
Supper, netted a "harvest of dollars." At the 
Conference session of 1901 a train of circum- 
stances caused E. T. Cooper to take a supernu- 
merary relation. 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEKENCE 21 



This was a time when the question could be per- 
tinently asked, "Does God make the appointments 
of the Central New York Conference f " The Pre- 
siding Bishop, C. H. Fowler, was a man of very 
strong prejudices. He worked hand in glove with 
his partisans. I was slated for a charge where a 
presiding elder 's nephew by marriage had divided 
a church by building a new parsonage, and leaving 
the entire debt as a legacy to his successor for 
collection. As I saw this nephew promoted four 
hundred dollars in his salary, and another brother 
"hardly out of his swaddling clothes' ' taken after 
a pastorate of one year from a charge where he 
had made fifteen hundred pastoral calls, and had 
been the agent in God's hands of saving over one 
hundred souls promoted to a large city church, 
I hardly felt "moved by the Holy Ghost" to go to 
Watkins, and shoulder the heavy load of debt. 
To the credit of my presiding elder, F. T. Keeney, 
let it be said he fought hard to save me from a 
6 1 drop, ' ' but was relieved of his district, and sent 
back to a former charge. The presiding elder's 
nephew was cut four hundred dollars, and got 
the same amount as Watkins paid, and the presid- 
ing elder at the same charge fell from eighty dol- 
lars to thirty-two dollars on his salary. The young 
man in "swaddling clothes" got his promotion, 
but in a few years he so wore out his welcome 
that he was compelled to take a year off for rest 
and travel. On his return to the work of the Con- 



22 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



ference he received several hundred less on his 
salary than he was wont, and fell to his "own 
grade.' ' Uncle Beuben, his father in the gospel, 
had gone to his reward, and no longer was there 
a friend at court to bring Dr. Haigh a call from 
a large church. 

After an absence of a year from pastoral work, 
E. T. Cooper was again made effective, and sent 
to Syracuse, New York, to rebuild a burned 
church. Never will the restoration of Bethany 
Church be forgotten. Catholic, Jew and Prot- 
estant aided the pastor in his work, and in less 
than twelve months, phoenix-like, Bethany Church 
had risen from the dead. Two years were spent 
in Syracuse, and Bethany Church experienced 
two glorious revivals. Bishop Neely, of fragrant 
memory, saved me from the hand of my irate pre- 
siding elder, who wanted me to build another 
church in a small parish in the suburbs of Syra- 
cuse. The writer was read out for Phoenix, New 
York, and in a single year a great revival crowned 
the work of the year. The ark of a parsonage was 
sold and a very convenient house free from debt 
became the abiding place of the succeeding pas- 
tors. Presiding Elder D. D. Campbell could 
never forgive Bishop Neely for sending me to 
Phoenix, and spent all the year sowing the seeds 
of poison on the charge, working for my removal, 
although I had been the agent in getting his sal- 
ary on the district raised two hundred dollars, 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEEENCE 23 



and had also secured the purse of one hundred and 
fifty-three dollars which sent him as a visitor to 
the General Conference at Los Angeles, Cali- 
fornia. 

Sodus Point and Wallington, New York, became 
my last appointment in the Central New York 
Conference. At Wallington there was neither 
^church edifice nor a single church member. After 
repairing and refurnishing the parsonage at So- 
dus Point, revival meetings were started at Wall- 
ington, and at the close of the meetings seventy- 
three members were taken into the membership of 
the Wallington and Sodus Point churches. 

There was now an imperative demand for a 
new church at Wallington. Today a very pretty 
church, with every window a memorial, stands 
in Wallington as a comfort to the people, as an 
inspiration to every pastor appointed to the 
charge. The spirit of J esuitism in Methodism had 
been rapidly growing during the latter part of my 
sojourn in the Central New York Conference. My 
presiding elder, E. M. Mills, D. D., was chosen as 
one of the Secretaries of the Home Missionary 
Society in March, 1907. Eev. C. E. Jewell was 
taken from Geneva, New York, and placed on the 
district to follow Dr. Mills. E. T. Cooper, who 
was just dedicating his new Wallington church, 
was sent to Geneva, New York. The General Con- 
ference elections were rapidly approaching, and 
Central New York Conference was divided into 



24 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



two hostile camps— Mills and anti-Mills. The lat- 
ter party was led by Jewell, Giles, Haigh and 
Skinner. Every political device known to Tam- 
many Hall was used to defeat Dr. E. M. Mills. E. 
/T. Cooper was "spotted" as a friend of Dr. Mills. 
By a concerted program all over the Central New 
York Conference letters poured in on Bishop 
Fowler, asking that E. T. Cooper's appoinment to 
Geneva be cancelled. The mail which brought 
.Cooper the reversal of the appointment to Geneva, 
also brought a unanimous call to Trinity Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church at Poughkeepsie, New York. 
Bishop Fowler on the receipt of my call to Pough- 
keepsie, New York, requested me to come at once 
to New York City, where the New York Confer- 
ence was to convene in Union Church. On my 
arrival Bishop Fowler said, "I will recommend to 
Bishop Berry (the Presiding Bishop of the New 
York Conference in 1907) that a man be sent 
from the New York Conference to Geneva, and 
then you can go to Trinity Church at Pough- 
keepsie, New York." Accordingly, Bishop Berry 
invited me to come into the Cabinet of the New 
York Conference, where he asked me, in case I 
could not be sent to Trinity Church, "Would you 
take such work as the Cabinet could give you?" 
I replied that I would, and a presiding elder who 
had been with me at Drew said, "I have a charge 
on my district paying twelve hundred and house" 
(about half the salary paid at Trinity) ; "would 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEEENCE 25 



you accept that?" I replied, "Yes, if that is the 
best that can be done." Bishop Berry then said, 
"Brother Cooper, you have simplified matters 
greatly, we can now transfer you. ' ' Bishop Berry 
made so many blunders at this session of the New 
York Conference that his Presidency at the New 
York Conference will never again be acceptable. 
At a recent visit through the territory of the New 
York Conference, of the forty pastors interviewed, 
only one stood up for Bishop Berry, and his 
brethren said, "He was jumped six hundred dol- 
lars in salary at the Conference session of 1907." 
Before the Conference closed on account of pres- 
sure from Central New York, Bishop Fowler 
withdrew Geneva Church from receiving a trans- 
fer from the New York Conference, and E. T. 
Cooper failed in making his transfer to the New 
York Conference. On being pressed for his rea- 
son in failing to allow the transfer to go through, 
Bishop Fowler admitted that certain parties in 
Central New York had sent him letters reflecting 
on the moral character of E. T. Cooper. Bishop 
Fowler advised the writer to take an eight-hun- 
dred charge in the New York Conference, and to 
allow a transfer from New York Conference to 
go to Sodus Point. The writer declined to act 
on this suggestion of Bishop Fowler's. On arriv- 
ing in Central New York, the writer made it his 
first duty to write to Presiding Elder Jewell, that 
either a bill of charge* or a letter stating there 



26 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



was nothing on which a charge could be based, 
should be sent him. Brother Jewell wrote back 
the following letter, which we insert: 

Geneva, N. Y v April 13, 1907. 
Eev. Bufus T. Cooper, 

Sodus Point, N. ¥. 
Dear Brother Cooper : 

Your letter reached me yesterday just as I was 
about to start for Newark. I have just returned 
and hasten to answer. There are no charges in 
my hands nor do I know of any. I would say 
further that I know of no rumors that have gone 
to any bishop from Geneva. Be assured that were 
charges against you placed in my hands you would 
be entitled to and would receive first considera- 
tion from me. I shall be glad to see you at my 
first opportunity. 

Fraternally yours, 

C. E. Jewell. 

The writer sent Presiding Elder Jewell 's letter 
to Bishop Fowler, with the statement, if E. T. 
Cooper was morally unfit to preach the gospel at 
Geneva and Poughkeepsie, he also should be de- 
barred from serving the churches at Sodus Point 
and Wallington, New York. Bishop Berry after 
<his stormy Presidency at the New York Confer- 
ence in 1907 was appointed to hold the Central 
New York Conference in October, 1907. The writer 
in June, 1907, was invited to Buffalo, New York, 
to dine with Bishop Berry. The good Bishop as- 



GENEVA M. E. CHURCH AND PASTOR REV. D. D. CAMPBELL, D. 



NEW YOKK EAST CONFEKENCE 27 



sured Cooper that he would be taken care of, and 
excoriated Jewell as a man who did nothing on a 
charge. Meanwhile the canvass for the election of 
the General Conference delegates in the Central 
New York Conference was waxing warmer and 
warmer. (Eead again, dear reader, the article 
headed "Vindicated," some pages back in this 
book, and note what the anti-Mills party had as 
a basis for attacking the writer.) Eev. A. W. 
Batty, Ph. D., a J ewell man, whose name indicates 
the state of his mind, sent letters all over the 
Central New York Conference seeking to injure 
E. M. Mills, D. D., by attacking the New York 
East Conference record of E. T. Cooper. By the 
advice of friends, the author drew up in the form 
of an affidavit a statement rehearsing the history 
of his ministry in the Central New York Confer- 
ence, affixed the seal of Chemung County to it, 
with the name of the district attorney attached. 
One copy was mailed to Bishop Berry, and Pre- 
siding Elder Jewell was compelled to read a copy. 
In this affidavit Bishop Berry and his Cabinet 
were entreated either to bring a bill of charges 
against the writer, or to set him free from false 
accusers. 

When the name of E. T. Cooper was called in 
open Conference, Presiding Elder Jewell replied, 
"Nothing against Brother Cooper." When the 
ballots for General Conference delegates were 
counted it was found that Dr. Mills for the first 



28 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



time had failed of an election to the General Con- 
ference. When the Conference appointments were 
made, E. T. Cooper was read out to North Lan- 
sing, Lansingville, and East Genoa. Ten minutes 
later Bishop Berry was forced to cancel that 
appointment. Until December 4, 1907, the writer 
was without work, and was nominally stationed at 
Lyons, New York, as assistant pastor. By the 
same jesuitical intrigue the writer was blocked 
from becoming a field agent for the Blocher homes 
at Williamville, New York. "Thus did the end 
justify the means. ' ' 

Finally, on December 4, 1907, Bishop Berry 
transferred me to Hillsville, Pennsylvania, in the 
Erie Conference, at a salary of $1,000 and par- 
sonage. I left the Episcopal residence in the 
morning, and reached Newcastle, Pennsylvania, 
the home of my new presiding elder, T. W. Doug- 
las, on the evening of the same day. On the re- 
ceipt of my transfer from Bishop Berry, Dr. 
Douglas exclaimed, "Bishop Berry lied when he 
said you would get one thousand and parsonage at 
Hillsville, Pennsylvania. Besides, the appoint- 
ment is not on the trolley line, but it is four miles 
out in the country. The salary of the charge had 
been reduced to six hundred dollars, and a local 
preacher is supplying the work." On reaching 
the charge I found in talking with the people that 
it was a draw between Bishop Berry and Presid- 
ing Elder Douglas as to which could tell the "big- 



NEW YOKK EAST CONFEEENCE 29 



gest whopper." For educational advantages the 
writer had moved his wife and three children to 
Moody Schools at East Northfield, Massachusetts, 
at the end of his first year at Sodus Point and 
Wallington, New York. 

Accordingly, the writer moved into the pretty 
parsonage, which was but scantily furnished, and 
as many debts were floating about in Hillsville, 
Pennsylvania, including seventy-eight dollars back 
on the supply pastor's salary, and the entire first 
quarter's salary of the presiding elder was un- 
paid, I arranged with the Ladies' Home Mission- 
ary Society to publish a Cook Book on terms 
mutually satisfactory. By the aid of Dr. Douglas 
in both the Hillsville and Mount J ackson churches 
the salary was voted one thousand dollars and 
parsonage, and all the debts were soon cleared 
off. The prospect of a successful year grew 
brighter and brighter, and Dr. Douglas gave the 
writer sanction for the raising of the moneys for 
JBEillsville charge. The pastor and ladies made a 
complete canvass of the entire region, and the re- 
cipes and advertisements were soon in the pub- 
lisher's hands. Late in February, in the midst of 
revival meetings at Mount Jackson, the author was 
stricken with a severe attack of la grippe, with 
other complications following. At the home of 
Simon Hoffmeister, one of my trustees, for two 
weeks was the writer seriously ill. A relapse fol- 
lowed my return to Hillsville, and four of my of- 



30 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



ficial members carried me to the Shenango Valley 
Hospital at Newcastle, Pennsylvania, on March 
18, 1908. In room 18 I was placed to die, but I 
lived in spite of the contrariwise prophecies of 
two doctors, the superintendent of the hospital, 
and the attending nurses. Never shall I forget the 
kindness of Elmer Elsworth Higley, D. D., who 
wrote all of my letters to my wife, and so forth. 
An angel of light he appeared to be; subsequent 
^events will show how I misread him. During my 
tarry in the hospital of four weeks, and the two 
weeks' illness at Mount Jackson, I fell away forty- 
six pounds. 

Owing to the slow payment on my salary and 
the need of collecting in the moneys on the Cook 
Book, I left the hospital one week earlier than 
the superintendent and doctors advised. Hardly 
able to walk on account of muscular rheumatism, 
I managed to go all over Newcastle, Pennsylvania, 
and Youngstown, Ohio, and so forth — everywhere 
I had sold an advertisement — and gathered to- 
gether the moneys to pay up the bills. 

While I had "slumbered and slept" at the hos- 
pital my enemies had been active. Jesuitism in 
Methodism everywhere was manifest. Not only 
had Presiding Elder Jewell and his Central New 
York cohorts been everywhere sowing the seeds of 
dissension, but also four former pastors of the 
Hillsville charge, who were quartered on the New- 
castle District, had been exceedingly active in 



NEW YOKK EAST CONFEKENCE 31 



advising the Hillsville people not to refurnish 
their parsonage, for which the moneys had already 
been raised. Erie Conference had been filled with 
all kinds of rumors about the writer. Another 
tragedy was to be enacted. The "Holy Inquisi- 
tion" was first to be held at Youngstown, Ohio, 
and then in Newcastle, Pennsylvania. As an out- 
growth of the canvass for the Hillsville Cook 
Book, three business men of Youngstown, with the 
connivance and active co-operation of the two dis- 
trict superintendents, T. W. Douglas and 0. W. 
Holmes, supplemented by the untiring labors of 
the ever-devoted Elmer Elsworth Higley, made 
a conspiracy against E. T. Cooper. Nets every- 
where were spread to entrap me. In the dark- 
est days of the Holy Inquisition no baser plot can 
be found on the pages of history than that de- 
scribed in the preliminary proceedings against E. 
T. Cooper held in the First Methodist Episcopal 
Church at Newcastle, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1908. 

The three Youngstown business men were T. I. 
Jacobs, W. J. Eoberts and E. E. Miles; the first 
two connected with the Mahoning Bank at Youngs- 
town, Ohio, and the last a real estate dealer, 
brother-in-law of W. J. Eoberts. Under cross- 
examination, Miles admitted that he had done 
what he had carried out at the advice of a Metho- 
dist minister. Miles, according to the Ohio law, 
was the criminal in the case, and as such was open 
to arrest, Presiding Elder Douglas was the man 



32 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



who, according to E. E. Higley's statement to 
the writer, had advised Miles to invite Cooper 
over to his office, and there to entrap him. Dr. 
Douglas presided over the preliminary investi- 
gation, and although he had been a particeps 
criminis, he rendered all the legal decisions. The 
whole affair from beginning to end was a perfect 
mockery. After a prominent Connecticut Judge 
had looked over the papers of the preliminary 
investigation, he said, "If everything said against 
you by these men were true, every one of the 
Clericals ought to be expelled from the ministry 
and membership of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, together with the Bishop (Berry) who 
screened and upheld them." Two of the investi- 
gators at the preliminary investigation at New- 
castle, Pennsylvania, J. C. MacDonald and David 
Taylor, were challenged for cause, but the objec- 
tion was overruled by Dr. Douglas, and both men 
served on the committee. During the dinner hour, 
while the writer and his counsel, Eev. E. G. Min- 
nigh, were absent, the Court was reassambled, and 
the verdict of the suspension of R. T. Cooper from 
the ministry and membership of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church until the next Erie Conference 
was announced. The interim between the writer's 
suspension, July 14, 1908, at Newcastle, Pennsyl- 
vania, and the opening of the Erie Annual Confer- 
ence at Jamestown, New York, September 2, 1908, 
was spent by the writer in getting ready for his 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEEENCE 33 



case. He was made to feel all along that with the 
parties involved in the case it would be a verdict 
of "acquit Verres though he confesses." Such 
proved to be the case. 

At the opening of the session of the Erie Annual 
Conference at Jamestown, New York, September 
2, 1908, the writer had not been able to persuade 
any of the pastors of the Conference to sign a 
bill of charges against the administration of Pre- 
siding Elder T. W. Douglas. The Presiding 
Bishop (Hamilton) seemed pleased that such was 
the case. Nothing daunted, the writer sat up until 
midnight Tuesday evening, September 1, 1908, 
and convinced his host, who was a printer, that it 
was his duty to sign the bill of charges against 
the administration of Dr. Douglas. Early in the 
morning of the opening of the Conference this 
host hurried to his office and struck off three copies 
of the bill of charges. Bishop Hamilton after the 
sacramental services were over invited the whole 
congregation to come to the altar, and shake 
hands with him. The writer availed himself of the 
privilege so to do, and handed Dr. Douglas, who 
stood in the chancel next to the Bishop, "the bill 
of charges against his adiministration. ' ' Con- 
sternation was depicted on the face of Dr. Douglas 
when the bill of charges was presented to the Con- 
ference by Bishop Hamilton. He "quaked like an 
aspen leaf." While waiting at the railroad sta- 
tion for the Eev. Arthur Copeland, his counsel 



34 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



from the Central New York Conference, the 
previously mentioned Eev. Elmer Elsworth Hig- 
ley, whom I had learned to love dearly, said, 
"Brother Cooper, you have prejudiced your case 
before the Conference by preferring charges 
against Dr. Douglas. A committee of his friends 
will set him free." 

Dr. Higley, one of the Secretaries of the Erie 
Annual Conference, evidently read the minds of 
the five men appointed by the Bishop to investi- 
gate the conduct of Dr. Douglas in the Cooper 
case. These five men the next day reported to 
the Conference that "there was no cause for 
action in the case of T. W. Douglas." Thus again 
did "the end justify the means." Although re- 
peatedly the writer tried to secure from Secretary 
Graham and E. E. Higley the names of these five 
men, both Graham and Higley had faulty memo- 
ries, and neither could recall the names of these 
five men. 

One of the saddest travesties of justice was the 
report of the pastor's salary. Hillsville was ow- 
ing sixty-five dollars and fifty cents and Mount 
Jackson twenty-six dollars — ninety-one dollars 
and fifty cents in all. Having no confidence in 
the moral integrity of T. W. Douglas, before I left 
the Hillsville charge I got both the treasurer of 
the charge, John Burkey of Hillsville, and 0. L. 
Miller of Mount Jackson, to certify to the truth 
that the Hillsville charge owed the pastor ninety- 



NEW YOKE EAST CONFERENCE 35 



one dollars and fifty cents. I carried this state- 
ment to T. W. Douglas at his home in Newcastle, 
Pennsylvania, gave up all benevolent moneys, save 
ninety-one dollars and fifty cents, which I said 1 
would pay in case the charge did not pay in the 
money by Conference. Dr. Douglas's salary on 
the charge was paid "in full." At the Confer- 
ence I learned the ninety-one dollars and fifty 
cents had not been paid in. Not trusting Dr. 
Douglas I paid over the ninety-one dollars and 
fifty cents by check to Bishop Hamilton, who 
turned the check over to the Conference Treas- 
urer. That money was never credited to the 
Hillsville charge, nor was acknowledgment made 
through the Pittsburgh Advocate later on, even 
though Bishop Hamilton and E. T. Cooper asked 
for such acknowledgment. While on the basis of 
one thousand dollars and house, there was a deficit 
of ninety-one dollars and fifty cents in the pastor's 
salary for Hillsville charge. In the ensuing Erie 
Conference minutes, Hillsville was credited with 
$900 and parsonage estimated, and $900 and par- 
sonage paid in full. Again did "the end justify 
the means." 

September 3, 1908, the day of the trial of the 
Cooper case, dawned beautiful and clear. At the 
last moment his counsel, Rev. Arthur Copeland 
of Central New York Conference, sent a telegram, 
"I am detained from coming on by pressing rea- 
sons. ' ' Rev. J. M. Crouch of the Erie Conference 



36 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



went ahead with the case. In the pages of this 
book it would be impossible to state all that hatred 
and malice did in this "so-called trial." With a 
record of the preliminary investigation at New- 
castle, Pennsylvania, so shamefully prepared as 
to make any fair-minded person blush, as the basis 
of the trial with Dr. E. E. Higley as Secretary, 
Cooper was found guilty, and expelled from the 
ministry and membership of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. An appeal was taken to a Judicial 
Conference, the place and time to be decided upon 
later. To the credit of several members of the 
Erie Conference let it be said that they came to 
the writer and expressed their sympathy with 
him, and their abhorrence of the unfairness which 
had characterized the trial. But "the end justi- 
fied the means." 

It is the duty of the Presiding Bishop at an An- 
nual Conference where an appeal is taken to a 
Judicial Conference to select the triers of appeal 
from three contiguous Conferences, after consult- 
ing the wishes of the appellant. Bishop Hamilton 
failed to do so. By the advice of his counsel, Eev. 
S. F. Sanford, the writer sent to the Board of 
Bishops at the semi-annual meeting in Indian- 
apolis, Indiana, late in October, 1908, the state- 
ment of his case, and requesting that the triers of 
appeal from Wyoming, Northern New York and 
Troy Conferences should sit on the case, and that 
the Civil Courts should act first in the case. 



NEW YOKK EAST CONFEKENCE 37 

Cooper had made a similar request of Dr. Dong- 
las when lie had presented the bill of charges for 
the preliminary investigation at Newcastle, Penn- 
sylvania. When the Bishops had acted on the 
matter, Bishop Hamilton wrote back that "the 
case had been taken out of his hands and that the 
triers of appeal from the Genesee, Pittsburgh 
and West Virginia Conferences would hear the 
case, with Bishop Berry as Presiding Bishop. 
Straightway R. T. Cooper sent a letter of pro- 
test to Bishop Hamilton, objecting to Bishop 
Berry, because he had both appointed E. T. 
Cooper to the Hillsville charge, and Dr. S. F. San- 
ford, his counsel to his presiding elder's district. 
He also objected to the Presidency of Bishop 
Berry, because he was the resident Bishop of the 
; Genesee Conference, and at that time was Presi- 
dent of the Pittsburgh Conferences; West Vir- 
ginia alone was neutral. Also the Bishop was re- 
quested to delay the ecclesiastical proceedings 
until after the Civil Courts could act in the case. 
But no! The Dear Bishop knew that the Civil 
Courts would ruin Dr. Holmes and Douglas. It 
was expedient that Cooper should be made a scape- 
goat. So it was decreed. Emory Church at 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania^ was chosen as the place 
and March 9 and 10, 1909, the time for holding 
the appeal. Again did "the end justify the 
means. " 



38 



JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



A good-sized delegation from the Erie Annual 
Conference attended the appeal of the Cooper case 
held in the Emory Methodist Episcopal Church, 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 9 and 10, 1909. 
As Dr. Elmer Elsworth Higley from the Erie An- 
nual Conference was providentially present, Dr. 
E. S. Borland, counsel for the church, moved that 
Dr. Higley be made Secretary. This was objected 
to by Eev. S. F. Sanford, as Dr. Higley had twice 
served in this capacity, which Dr. Sanford thought 
was quite enough. 

Eev. H. C. Woods of the Genesee Conference 
was chosen Secretary. One of the triers of appeal 
from the "West Virginia Conference was absent. 
Eev. P. S. Merill, whose two sons were pastors 
on Dr. Douglas's District (Newcastle, Pennsyl- 
vania), was excused. Thus thirteen triers acted 
on the case. Bishop Berry, as he presided, was 
completely overcome with the enormity of the 
crime of the appellant, although all of the filthi- 
ness was on the side of the church. Every linea- 
ment of the good Bishop's face depicted his hor- 
ror, even while he continued writing as Dr. S. F. 
Sanford was summing up the case for the appel- 
lant. Finally, Bishop Berry's attitude was so dis- 
respectful that Dr. Sanford stopped speaking in 
his remarks and sat down. When asked why he 
did not continue, he replied to the Bishop, "I am 
entitled to your whole attention, and will not con- 
tinue until I have it. ' ' Throughout the entire pro- 



Emor\> 

fIDetbofcnst Episcopal Cburcb 



PITTSBURGH, PA., WHERE THE JUDICIAL CONFERENCE WAS HELD. 
March 9 and 10, 1909. 



NEW YOKK EAST CONFEKENCE 39 



ceedings the Bishop tried to exasperate Dr. San- 
ford so that he would explode with temper. By 
common consent, Dr. Sanford won the appeal, but 
to save the other men, Erie Conference must be 
sustained. The outcome of the appeal was "the 
Judicial Conference confirms the findings of the 
Erie Annual Conference by a vote of nine to 
four. " The West Virginia Conference voted unani- 
mously to grant E. T. Cooper a new trial, which 
would have set him free. Again did ' ' the end jus- 
tify the means. ' ' 

The following reasons were presented to the 
Judicial Conference as the basis for setting aside 
the verdict of the Erie Annual Conference: 

Pittsburgh, Pa., March 9, I 9°9* 
JDear Fathers and Brethren : 

The undersigned complain that a gross injustice 
has been committed in a preliminary investigation 
and Church trial within the bounds of the Erie 
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
America. The investigation was held at New- 
castle, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1908, and the Church 
trial was held at Jamestown, New York, Septem- 
ber 3, 1908. In the said trial and investigation 
Eufus T. Cooper, a minister and a member of the 
said Erie Conference was expelled from the min- 
istry and membership of the said Methodist Epis- 
copal Church without just cause. We therefore 
appeal to you for redress, and cite the following 
exceptions : 

1. The preliminary investigation and the trial 
were not conducted with judicial fairness. 



40 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



2. The abhorrent method of planning for a 
crime was resorted to in order to find evidence to 
expel a member from the Conference. The only 
evidence of any wrong that was furnished was by 
one of the conspirators ; and as the evidence tends 
to convict himself, and not the defendant, and as 
the discipline of onr Church makes no provision 
for such proceedings, all that evidence ought to be 
stricken out, and this would be a practical reversal 
of the judgment of the lower court and for this 
we pray. 

3. Such evidence as was presented, allowing it 
to be valid, was not such as would conclusively 
convict. Therefore, the finding of the investigat- 
ing Committee, and other select number does not 
accord with the testimony, and for that reason 
these findings are contrary to the facts and they 
ought to be reversed. 

4. The history of this case, its preparation for 
trial, the method of securing evidence, the admis- 
sion of irrelevant and unlawful testimony, the con- 
stitution of the investigating committee, and the 
conduct of the entire trial show that there was col- 
lusion and a unity of action that constitutes con- 
spiracy. The findings of so corrupt a Court ought 
to be reversed. 

5. There is shown such bias and animus against 
this defendant in the records of this trial as to 
fairly create the conviction that he was not 
accorded his just rights. The untrustworthy 
character of the records, their fragmentary and 
imperfect condition, the reluctance which was 
shown in providing the appellant with a certified 
copy, the fact that the Secretary of the Investigat- 
ing Committee, and of the select number appeared 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFERENCE 41 



as a witness against the defendant, the further 
fact that the records fail to show that the defend- 
ant objected to two of the investigating committee 
for cause, and that the Chairman overruled his 
objections and these men did serve on this case, 
and one of their number, J. C. MacDonald, ques- 
tioned the witnesses and showed bias in the trial, 
and the further fact that the Counsel for the 
Church answered questions which were put to 
witnesses when he was not giving testimony, and 
said answers were recorded as testimony, and as 
the verdict was rendered in the absence of the 
defendant and his Counsel contrary to an express 
agreement, and as the signatures of witnesses 
were not secured for many days after the verdict 
was rendered and without an agreement with the 
defendant or his counsel, and without their pres- 
ence, and the further fact that the witnesses for 
the defense did not have an opportunity to sign 
their testimony and have not yet signed said testi- 
mony, and for other irregularities which appear in 
the records, we claim that this defendant was not 
fairly tried and ask for a reversal. 

Because of the above exceptions and for others 
we ask for a reversal of the findings in the case 
specified above, and that Eufus T. Cooper be 
restored to his just rights as a minister and mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church and we will 
ever pray. 

Signed: Eufus T. Coopek, 

Samuel F. Sanfokd, Counsel. 

From March 9 and 10, 1909, to the meeting of 
the General Conference of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church at Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 1, 



42 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



1912, was quite a long period of time to wait. A 
family of five persons must be supported. From 
some quarter an ever present enemy was active in 
poisoning the mind of each, employer of the writer. 
At length the writer saw that he must inform his 
employers of the status of his case. His present 
employer has retained him for nearly four years, 
and the good work goes on. The civil trial at 
Youngstown, Ohio, came off June 28, 1909. Dr. 
Douglas, district superintendent of the Newcastle 
District, was finally persuaded to come over to 
Youngstown, Ohio, and to have papers served 
upon him late in April. When the day of the Civil 
Trial arrived nearly all of the Methodist Episco- 
pal pastors of Youngstown, Ohio, District were 
present, to support with their sympathies and 
prayers their beloved District Superintendent, Dr. 
0. W. Holmes. After much challenging a jury of 
twelve members was chosen satisfactory to both 
sides. Dr. 0. W. Holmes, Superintendent of the 
Youngstown District, was first called to the stand. 
For the benefit of my readers who have never been 
mixed up with Civil Court proceedings, let me say 
that after the Plaintiff in a damage suit files a 
statement of grievances, the defendants file a 
counter-bill. The writer was suing Drs. Holmes, 
Douglas and E. E. Miles for $25,000 damages, on 
the ground that their proceedings against him had 
robbed him of his ministerial standing in the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. In his counter-reply Dr. 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEEENCE 43 



0. W. Holmes had stated that for a long time he 
had heard these rumors against the character of 
R. T. Cooper. 

After being duly sworn Dr. Holmes was asked, 
"Before these proceedings were instituted against 
R. T. Cooper had you ever heard anything against 
the Plaintiff ?" Quickly Dr. Holmes responded, 
"I never did." In a very brief time a lawyer of 
the Plaintiff handed his counter petition to Dr. 
Holmes, and asked him if that was his signature. 
Dr. Holmes replied it was. "Did you lie then, or 
are you lying now in open court?" was the next 
question to Dr. Holmes from the Plaintiff's law- 
yer. "I never heard anything previously against 
P. T. Cooper," was Dr. Holmes's reply. For 
nearly two hours was Dr. Holmes grilled by the 
Plaintiff's two lawyers. The four lawyers of the 
Defendants were closeted with Judge Robinson 
who presided over the Court of Common Pleas, 
where the trial was being held all through the 
dinner hour. On the reassembling of the Court 
after dinner, R. T. Cooper took the stand. After 
a few questions had been asked, the proceed- 
ings of the Court were interrupted by a 
motion from a lawyer of the Defendants. "Inas- 
much as R. T. Cooper is still a member and minis- 
ter of the Methodist Episcopal Church by virtue of 
Jiis appeal to the approaching General Conference 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, he is not enti- 
tled to the $25,000 damages until after the Gen- 



44 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



eral Conference has passed upon his case. ' ' Judge 
Eobinson entertained the motion and permitted 
the Plaintiff's lawyers to withdraw a juror, and 
then dismissed the case "without record and with- 
out prejudice. ' ' 

Never did the writer hear a man lie with as much 
sorrow as he did in the case of the late Dr. Holmes. 
It was the author's intention to have the Court 
summons in Bishops Berry and Hamilton, and a 
goodly number of the members of the Central New 
York and Erie Annual Conferences, including 
Eeverends Jewell, Higley and Graham, and have 
them put under oath to tell the truth. The writer 
believes in "helping the Lord to carry out his 
work. ' 9 

Dr. Holmes told that lie to save the credit of the 
great Methodist Episcopal Church. Again did 
"the end justify the means." 

It seemed a long way off to the meeting of the 
General Conference in May 1, 1912. To support 
his family in view of the desperate situation in 
which he found himself was no small task for the 
writer. He was constantly invited to preach by 
his friends, but constantly refused to do so. He 
never preached from the day he was suspended at 
Newcastle, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1908, until the 
General Conference closed at Minneapolis, Minne- 
sota, May 29, 1912. Since then he has availed him- 
self of many invitations requesting him to preach 
and to give addresses. The writer has constantly 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEKENCE 45 



to be on his guard against the loss of the records 
relating to the ecclesiastical and civil proceedings 
in his case. Even in the short distance between 
Youngstown, Ohio, and Elmira, New York, the 
records "scanty enough" of the Judicial Confer- 
ence held at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 9 
and 10, 1909, were lost in transmission from the 
office of Attorney Brown to the residence of the 
Eev. S. F. Sanford. Bishop Berry's name as Pres- 
ident was signed to these records, as was also Eev. 
H. C. Wood's name as Secretary. 

The costs of the civil proceedings in Youngs- 
town, Ohio, June 28, 1909, were so heavy on the 
purse of Dr. Douglas that the $384 were first laid 
on the Erie Conference session of 1910 where by 
a roll-call of the Conference a little more than half 
of the amount was raised to reimburse Dr. Douglas 
in the Cooper case. Again in Kane, Pennsylvania, 
Bishop Burt presiding, another effort was made, 
both privately and publicly. Many refused to give. 
The writer heard Bishop Burt chiding the slow 
givers for their dilatory methods. 

6 6 Many of you are not giving anything," said 
the urbane Bishop. Finally after the roll-call of 
the Conference had been made, and the collection 
plates had been passed all over the church — all 
save $10 was pledged, and Dr. Douglas was allowed 
to give that amount "out of his own pocket." 
Meanwhile Dr. O. W. Holmes, Superintendent of 
the Youngstown District, went to "his own place" 



46 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



May 27, 1911, surrounded by the pastors of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church at Youngstown, Ohio. 
It is doubtful if the combined prayers of the 
Youngstown District were efficacious enough to 
pray his guilty soul through the purgatorial fires. 

Plying his trade as a vender of good reference 
books, E. T. Cooper was present at the opening of 
the General Conference of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, Wednesday, May 1, 1912. The writer 
was greatly surprised that the Judicial Confer- 
ence records in his case had not been in the posses- 
sion of the Committee on Judiciary. The Secre- 
tary of the Judiciary Committee kept going to Dr. 
J. B. Hingeley, the Secretary of the General Con- 
ference, but was always told that he, Hingeley, 
had not the records. By the advice of my counsel, 
Attorney George L. Peck, of the Wyoming Con- 
ference, and Dr. M. R. Webster, of the Genesee 
Conference, I telegraphed Eev. H. C. Woods of 
Albion, New York, Secretary of the Judicial Con- 
ference held at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 
10, 1909, as to the whereabouts of these records. 
The following telegram from Dr. Woods will ex- 
plain : 

Albiok, New Yoek. May 19, 1912. 

Sent the records to Hingeley who sent them 
back for correction. Eecords now in my pos- 
session. H. C. Woods. 

Monday morning, May 20, 1912, on motion of 
Dr. M. E. Webster the General Conference de- 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEEENCE 47 



manded that the Secretary of the Judicial Confer- 
ence send on these records at once. The records 
arrived Thursday, May 23, 1912. Dr. J. B. Hinge- 
ley at once offered to turn these records over to 
Dr. M. E. Webster who declined to receive them. 
"Give them to the proper authorities, the Com- 
mittee on Judiciary, ' ' said this astute divine. All 
of a sudden those records disappeared from the 
table of Secretary Hingeley, and were not found 
again until Saturday evening, May 25, 1912, 
when the Cooper case was to be considered by the 
Committee on Judiciary. In an upper room in the 
Hotel Leamington at eleven p. m., Saturday, May 
25, 1912, the entire Judiciary Committee were 
assembled "worn out with the excessive labors" of 
their department. The writer's counsel was given 
ten minutes to look over the records, which were 
unsigned; neither Bishop Berry's name as Presi- 
dent, nor H. C. Woods's name as Secretary, were 
attached to these records. Again did "the end 
justify the means." On entering the room where 
the Judiciary Committee met we found present to 
represent the Erie Conference, the long curly 
haired sanctimonious faced man, J. C. MacDonald, 
who had been challenged at the preliminary inves- 
tigation at Newcastle, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1908, 
and a lay delegate from Mercer, Pennsylvania, a 
lawyer by profession. In a sepulchral voice the 
Rev. J. C. MacDonald said, "The Erie Confer- 
ence with the expulsion of R. T. Cooper from the 



48 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



church and ministry will proceed no further.' ' 
"Mirabile Dictu." 

Judge Ira E. Eobinson of the Supreme Court of 
West Virginia had the Cooper case in hand, and 
clearly showed his bias and animus from the start. 
Possibly he was a relative of Judge George F. 
Eobinson who presided over the Cooper case at 
Youngstown, Ohio, June 28, 1909. Dr. M. E. Web- 
ster made a clean-cut speech which would have 
won any fair-minded jury. But to save Bishop 
Berry and H. C. Woods, the Erie Conference and 
so forth, the verdict of the Erie Annual Confer- 
ence was affirmed, and Cooper was deposed from 
the ministry and membership of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church on the charge of "grossly im- 
moral conduct." On Monday morning, May 27, 
1912, the report of the Judiciary Committee in the 
case of E. T. Cooper was published in the Daily 
Christian Advocate. On Tuesday, a. m. May 28, 
1912, Dean Henry Wade Eogers of Yale Univer- 
sity, President of the Committee on Judiciary, in 
solemn tones pronounced the ecclesiastical death 
of E. T. Cooper. The great company gathered 
from all over the Methodist world arose and 
chanted the "high requiem Mass for the repose 
of his soul." Thus again did "the end justify 
the means." 

But Cooper was not dead. He was only in a 
trance, as subsequent events will show. Before 
the General Conference adjourned sine die May 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEBENCE 49 

29, 1912, the writer made a formal demand on Sec- 
retary Hingeley for all of the telegrams that had 
passed between Hingeley and Secretary H. C. 
Woods of Albion, New York, who had the records 
of the Judicial Conference held at Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania, March 9 and 10, 1909. Very reluc- 
tantly were they surrendered, and the writer has 
good reasons to believe that the collusion between 
the police of Minneapolis and the delegates of the 
General Conference were suggested by Secretary 
J. B. Hingeley, who for several years was a resi- 
dent of Minneapolis. Some pertinent questions 
can be raised at this point. 

First : Why did Secretary Hingeley send back 
those records to Secretary Woods for correction? 

Second: Why didn't Secretary ( Woods after 
making the corrections re-send them to Secretary 
Hingeley whose duty was to hand the records to 
the Judiciary Committee who could then first 
handed have dealt with Secretary Woods? 

The best judges believe that Bishop Berry and 
Secretary Hingeley intended that those records 
should never reach the Judiciary Committee, as it 
was May 23, 1912, when the records finally arrived 
unsigned. Had the General Conference adjourned 
before the receipt of those records Cooper would 
have lost his case by default, as one General Con- 
ference cannot touch the work of another. All 
through the session of the General Conference the 



50 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



writer had to guard every step he took. He felt 
that unfriendly eyes were ever watching him. 

While pursuing his work as salesman, both 
among the attendants of the General Conference 
and the citizens of Minneapolis, the writer first 
met with a strange experience. On Saturday, May 
11, 1912, as he was returning from a dinner given 
him by a man who had promised him a lucrative 
position with a friend, a city detective accosted 
him, and said, "You are wanted in the City of 
Chicago to answer to a serious crime." In spite 
of a protest of innocence the detective took him to 
the Central Police Station, searched his pockets, 
looked over his private papers and letters, and 
finding nothing of an incriminating nature let the 
writer go, wishing him success in the sale of his 
book. The writer at once reported this matter to a 
prominent lawyer who was a delegate to the Gen- 
eral Conference from the State of New York. 

Both the writer and this delegate thought that 
this act of the detective was prompted by delegates 
from the Erie Conference, because the detective 
said as he dismissed the writer, "You are re- 
garded as a suspect, so be careful what you do." 
All through the General Conference the delegates 
of the Erie Conference were tampering with the 
Committee on Judiciary, as a member of the Com- 
mittee so informed the writer. These proceedings 
would not have been permitted in a legal case. 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFERENCE 51 



Elmer Elsworth Higley, D.D., from his new parish 
at Denver, Colorado, was "on the job" all through 
the General Conference. He dropped his eyes and 
slunked away as the writer met him face to face 
one day. 

The second strange experience happened to the 
writer as he entered his room on Hawthorne Ave- 
nue, Monday evening, May 20, 1912. Pinned over 
his mirror was a paper which read as follows: 
Mr. Cooper, we know who yon are, and what you 
are. Unless you vacate your room at once we will 
hand you over to the police. Signed — Landlord. 
As the week's rent expired the next day the writer 
remained over-night, and sought new quarters on 
Tuesday, May 21. The writer had planned to leave 
Minneapolis for his home in Springfield, Massa- 
chusetts, Friday evening, May 31. He spent May 
30 finishing up his work of canvassing. The last 
person to whom the writer sold a book ("New 
Century Book of Facts") was Bishop Neely as he 
was about to take a train to the East. Whatever 
opinion some may entertain of this good man, the 
writer knows that during the past quadrennium 
no man on the Board of Bishops has been more 
effective and acceptable than Bishop T. B. Neely. 

Leaving the Bishop at the railroad station the 
writer went at once to Hotel Hastings on Haw- 
thorne Avenue to bid good-bye to his counsel, Dr. 
M. E. Webster, who was not in. Intending to re- 



52 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



turn to the hotel the writer meanwhile took a walk, 
and was accosted by a stranger who engaged him 
in conversation nntil a policeman, Whitcomb by 
name, came along. At a signal from the stranger 
fthe policeman said, "For whom are yon waiting 
at the corner of this street? " (Harmon Place). 
The writer said, "If the officer wonld go with him 
to Hotel Hastings he would prove to him that he 
was waiting to see Dr. Webster. " "I have trailed 
you from that hotel," said the officer, "and I de- 
cline to go to the hotel." He further said, "for 
/two days I have been searching for you, and you 
may count yourself lucky for not falling into my 
•hands before. Now you must go to the police 
station." On the way to ring up the patrol 
rwagon the policeman forced the writer to 
show his money, and gave him ample time to bribe 
the officer. On his arrival at the police station the 
writer demanded to know on what charge he had 
been arrested. "You are held," was the reply. 
Three times during the evening the writer de- 
manded the charge; every time he was told, "You 
are held." The writer was refused the use of the 
telephone and not until 7.30 a.m. the next day did 
he have access to the telephone, which was even 
then taken from him while he was talking to Eev. 
Dr. Webster, his counsel. Not until he was 
brought before Judge Leary did he know the 
charge. "You are accused of disorderly conduct. 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEEENCE 53 



What have you to say?" "Not guilty, " said the 
writer. The accuser, who gave his name as Leo- 
nard Holland, and Officer Whitcomb were the only 
witnesses against him. Holland admitted on the 
stand that he had twice lied to the writer, but his 
testimony convicted Cooper of disorderly conduct, 
for which he received ninety days in the Minneap- 
olis Workhouse. 

As the writer had been without counsel he asked 
the Judge if he had the right of appeal and the 
Judge said, "Yes." The writer then asked for an 
appeal and a chance to secure counsel. Before his 
friends could reach him Cooper was forced into 
the "black maria" and carried to the workhouse, 
Friday, May 31, 1912. As the writer afterwards 
learned, an Eastern friend with a lawyer appeared 
at Court just after Cooper had been taken away, 
but was told that Cooper was on the way to the 
workhouse. The Court lawyer said, "Let Cooper 
alone, as he has been here before and is evidently 
a bad man." Judge Leary, with other prominent 
Eoman Catholics, was very much incensed at the 
proceedings in the late General Conference, espe- 
cially as they dealt with Eomanism, hence he got 
back at the Methodists by his action in the writer's 
case. 

The following extract from the Evening Tri- 
bune of Minneapolis, Friday evening, May 31, 
1912, will throw some light on the case. Undoubt- 



54 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



edly Secretary Hingeley could throw on more 
light: 

FOEMEE PASTOE SENTENCED 



Methodist Conference Visitor Gets Ninety-Day 
Workhouse Term for Statutory Off erne 

B. T. Cooper, formerly pastor of a Methodist 
Church in Lyons, New York, who came to Minne- 
apolis with several delegates to the Methodist Gen- 
eral Conference for the purpose of selling litera- 
ture, was convicted of a statutory offense in munic- 
ipal court and sentenced by Judge Leary to ninety 
days in the workhouse. He was arrested at 
Twelfth Street and Harmon Place by Patrolman 
Whitcomb. 

He has a wife and three children in Springfield, 
Massachusetts. He left Springfield for Minneap- 
olis April 27. Clergymen attending the Confer- 
ence told the police that Cooper had formerly had 
an excellent reputation. They said that he got 
into trouble a few years ago for a similar offense 
in Indiana. A delegate said that he was not prose- 
cuted at that time because it was believed that the 
charges against him were brought through spite 
work. He said that after Cooper left the State 
the charges against him were found to be true. 

Cooper is forty-five years old. He is well edu- 
cated and at one time was prominent in Methodist 
church circles in the East. He held pastorates in 
several cities in New York, Massachusetts and 
Indiana. 

He asked for a stay of sentence and said that he 
would secure the services of an attorney and ap- 
peal the case. He accusgd the police of mistreat- 



NEW YORK EAST CONFERENCE 55 



ing him. He said that when the patrolman 
arrested him he asked him to show him how much 
money he had. He said that he was sure that the 
patrolman would have released him if he had given 
him money. Judge Leary said he would decide 
later whether he would grant a stay. 

LIFE IN THE WORKHOUSE, 

Six miles north of the city of Minneapolis on a 
tract of eighty acres stands the City Workhouse. 
One part of the edifice is fitted up in a modern 
way, with cells of convenient design, the other 
part of very poor accommodations. Owing to the 
fact that May 30 (Memorial Day) was a legal holi- 
day, an unusual number of guests rode in the 
' 6 black maria ' ' on May 31, in fact the ' * stage ' 7 was 
so crowded that while twelve persons could com- 
fortably find accommodations, twenty on this aus- 
picious occasion found passage in the time-worn 
equipage. It was a jolty road over which we trav- 
eled, and the journey was enlivened by the con- 
versation of some of the passengers who had pre- 
viously visited that historic spot, indulging in the 
fond wish that their lot and fortune might be cast 
in the new part of the prison. The writer was so 
dazed at the sudden turn of the wheel of fortune in 
his prospects that he had hardly given thought as 
to where his ninety days' sojourn in " Hotel de 
Minneapolis ' ' was to be passed, The long, fatigu- 
ing ride came to an end. One by one the guests 
were weighed, given a bath (a very necessary 



56 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



ordeal for many) and then all were ushered in to 
dinner. In the long annals of the institution a 
case of dyspepsia was never known, unless the 
germs were brought in by some unlucky sojourner. 
Delmonico would hardly have patterned his Menu 
Cards after the Bill of Fare served on the dinner 
tables that day. Well do I recall that spread of 
Friday, May 31, 1912. 

A large plate of stewed beans stood waiting on 
the table for each guest — plenty of bread minus 
butter, and a large pewter cup of coffee ( ?) devoid 
of either sugar or milk supplemented the meal. 
Knowing that a stay of ninety days awaited me, in 
the spirit of a Christian Scientist I made myself 
believe that the repast before me was a good one, 
accordingly "I fell to the hearty meal." The 
balance of the day was given to rest and medita- 
tion, and to my joy I was accorded Cell 241 in the 
new part. 

Saturday morning, June 1, after breakfast we 
were all apportioned our work for the day. JThe 
number of male prisoners was about two hundred, 
and they were divided up among the Farmers, 
Tailor Shop, Boiler Boom, Barn, Cell Cleaners, 
Kitchen and Floor Scrubbers. In the last class 
the writer was read out. To make the inmates feel 
their degraded lot, only pristine methods in scrub- 
bing were employed. In receiving my " under- 
wear " two sizes too small had been given me. At 
that time my weight was 204 pounds avoirdupois. 



NEW YORK EAST CONFERENCE 57 



I soon found in a cramped position that comfort 
was a secondary consideration. Saturday, June 1, 
1912, proved the longest day I had ever experi- 
enced. The dining room where the prisoners ate 
must first be scrubbed twice over and mopped, and 
mopped dry with cloths, next all hallways must be 
gone over. "Tom," a raven haired guard, raw- 
boned and more than six feet in stature, bossed 
the scrubbing. At that time Tom had conceived a 
special hatred for the writer. Every move I made 
he sharply criticized, nothing I did seemed to 
please him. Finally I became so nervous that I 
kicked over a pail of scalding hot water on the 
legs and feet of two nearby prisoners, and some of 
the scalding water even reached Tom's feet and 
legs. The scene which followed can be better im- 
agined than described. Tom was an ardent Eoman 
Catholic, but was not a member of the Holy Name 
Society. Oaths, curses, threats followed in rapid 
succession. 

I was called everything but good. My under- 
garments had become so disarranged by this time 
that I could scarcely move forward or backward. 
The day finally closed, and on disrobing I found 
both my knees were wholly devoid of skin. 

Sunday, June 2, 1912, was a day of rest. The 
Eoman Catholics held the mornings ' services, and 
the Gospel Workers those of the afternoon begin- 
ning with a praise service. To keep the prisoners 
from nervous breakdowns due to attending too 



58 



JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



many services on the Lord's Day, the Christian 
Scientists took Tuesday evening as their time for 
devotions. Like other prisoners to get out of my 
cell I was glad to attend all religions services held 
in the prison. Such a conglomeration of inmates 
my eyes had never rested upon! Such a sight! 
Their foul language was indescribable. The Sanc- 
tified Methodist would never have ascribed the 
" language of Canaan " to these degraded crea- 
tures. When Christ descended into hell to preach 
to the spirits in prison he never found a more 
unlikely class of men than were gathered in the 
Minneapolis jWorkhouse at this particular time. 
It was a time of unrest and fault-finding with the 
inmates. The whole prison, through the reports of 
those who came in the " black maria" with me, 
resounded with my troubles. Copies of the Min- 
neapolis Evening Tribune of May 31 had been 
smuggled into the workhouse. One friendly pris- 
oner gave me the clipping which put me wise to 
the work of the jesuitical delegates to the General 
Conference. Their jesuitical work was not done in 
a corner. They intended to so blacken the char- 
acter of the writer that he could never resume his 
trial in Youngstown, Ohio. 

A change of occupation in the workhouse was to 
be mine. Monday morning, June 3, 1912, 1 was read 
off to work in the kitchen, a veritable godsend 
from the laborious scrubbing of floors. I think 
"Tom" was the cause of making the change, as he 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEKENCE 59 



was overheard saying to the head overseer "that 
he would suffer a nervous breakdown if the writer 
was left on his hands much longer." The chef 
of the kitchen had formerly studied to be a Eoman 
Catholic priest and was a man of fine intellect. At 
first he, too, took a strong dislike to the writer as 
he said time and time again, "I hate the Metho- 
dists the most of all people." As the days wore 
along the chef and I became the best of friends. 
My work at this time in the kitchen was to make 
the tea and coffee in the great cylindrical boiler. 
For the benefit of any who must be economical 
I will describe the operation. Usually for two 
hundred prisoners one pound and a half of a con- 
coction, which to this day I could not analyze, com- 
pounded of beans, peas, corn, rice, wheat, the 
cheapest kind of coffee beans (I speak reverently 
— God only knows what else) was placed in a bag, 
and after the cylindrical copper boiler was filled 
with hot water from a pipe connecting, this bag 
was placed inside of the boiler hanging down into 
the hot water. Then this delectable compound in 
the bag was allowed to boil. If perchange a 
larger number of guests arrived in the "black 
maria" than was expected more hot water was 
turned into the boiler. All coffee left over after 
the last guest had been served was drawn off and 
saved for the next meal. The only virtue the 
writer could see in this drink was that it was al- 



60 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



ways served hot ; its color being a dark brownish 
fluid little resembling the real coffee. 

As one of the duties of the writer was to serve 
with meals all newly arrived guests, he could 
readily tell which of the three police Judges had 
sentenced the company. If a small number came, 
Judge Leary was surely the Judge, as he was 
regarded as the most merciful of the Judges; if 
large numbers came the credit of their arrival was 
ascribed to the other two Judges. It is generally 
known in the workhouse that the question of 
demand and supply was regarded by the police 
Judges in sentencing helpers to the workhouse. 
With the rest of the inmates the writer seemed 
pleased to have the " black maria" bring a large 
delegation to the workhouse as it materially les- 
sened the labors of those already confined, and 
illustrated the proverb "Misery loves company/ ' 
By this time I had won the friendship of all the 
guards. Many an orange and a helping from the 
"Officers' table" came into my possession. The 
chef on the sly gave me pie, cake and many a 
dainty sandwich. Truly the lines were falling to 
me in pleasant places. Almost every day I kept 
hearing that I could go out "on probation.' 9 This 
term probation, so familiar to Methodists' ears, 
had quite a different meaning in workhouse lan- 
guage. It meant that a letter expressing sorrow 
for past sins, especially the one which resulted in 
the petitioner getting into the workhouse, should 



NEW YOKK EAST CONFERENCE 61 



be sent to the probation officer. If the tenor of the 
letter pleased the Court, a free ride in the "black 
maria" was granted to the prisoner from the 
workhouse to the City Hall. Papers must be 
signed in the presence of the three police court 
Judges. If agreeable to the Judges either a fine 
of money could be paid, or a promise given 
never to return to the State would be accepted. 

As I had sent eighty dollars to my family and 
had kept back only enough funds to secure my re- 
turn East, the payment of a fine was out of the 
question. The writer decided to remain in the 
workhouse the ninety days, which was the full 
limit which a Judge could sentence for a petty of- 
fense. Not until July 5, 1912, did the writer get 
an audience with a friend, and through this 
medium a lawyer appeared July 11, 1912. This 
attorney said that on investigation the name of 
Leonard Holland could not be found in the Minne- 
apolis Directory. It will be recalled that this Hol- 
land and Officer Whitcomb were the parties who 
appeared in Court against the writer May 31, 1912. 
This lawyer was anxious that a retainer's fee be 
given him, but the writer had frequently heard in 
the prison the relating of experiences to the effect 
that after the fee had been paid the prisoner was 
left to his fate. The writer refused the fee and the 
lawyer never visited the writer again. The sum- 
mer season had closed the Higher Courts, and the 
only way for the writer to gain his liberty was to 



62 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



go out "on probation," which meant a confession 
of guilt. Cooper remained in the workhouse the 
full ninety days. 

Meanwhile another change of occupation 
awaited the writer. One morning early a guard 
came to his cell and said, "You are to work in the 
kitchen no longer. You are going out this morn- 
ing with the gardeners. ' ? The chef in the kitchen 
was very sorry this change was made, and often 
left his work to come out and have a chat with me, 
as I picked cucumbers, beans, peas or gathered the 
ears of sweet corn. 

The change was beneficial to me and one day 
"Tom," who had formerly been my bitter enemy, 
came along as I was topping beets, and taking out 
his knife, he also topped beets to help me. I was 
even more surprised when he said, "I never know 
how to treat a good man right, I am so used to 
dealing with crooks." Tom even asked my ad- 
vice about life insurance, and after several talks 
with me he actually went to a Metropolitan Life 
Insurance agent and took out a twenty-year life 
policy. To this day I have never received a com- 
mission from that company. Since my retirement 
from the active ministry I have been an agent for 
the New York Life Insurance Company, and so 
could advise Tom, who ever afterward was my 
warm friend. 

Lawyers frequently visited the workhouse to 
rescue those illegally imprisoned. Late in June a 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEEENCE 63 



school teacher on a visit to Minneapolis, on a 
trumped-up charge, was brought in. After a hard 
legal fight he was released. The writer overheard 
from time to time conversation which convinced 
him that not always were prisoners legally con- 
victed. Thursday morning, August 29, 1912, was 
a memorable day in the calendar of E. T. Cooper's 
life. Early in the morning he was granted his 
liberty with a diploma certifying that he was grad- 
uated from the " Institution ' ' cum summa laude in 
cooking and gardening. Before taking his final 
leave a breakfast of pork-loin steak, potatoes, 
griddle cakes and coffee was given him. All the 
kitchen help bade him a cordial good-bye and the 
sympathetic chef followed him even to the street 
door. Here stood the Superintendent of the work- 
house who said, "I wish I could reduce my weight 
as you have done." The writer weighed 204 
pounds on entering the workhouse, 170 pounds 
when he left, thus losing 34 pounds in 90 days. His 
familiar friends in the East hardly recognized him 
when they saw him. 

With the breath of freedom enthusing him, the 
writer went first to call on the lawyer who visited 
him at the workhouse July 11, 1912. For political 
reasons this attorney did not wish to touch this 
case, then the author went to the County District 
Attorney, who, while he deplored the situation, 
said, "It would take a long time to get justice in 
the Courts, and as the entire sentence had been ex- 



64 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



ecuted, it would be better to bear the results than 
to strive for justice." As his funds were about 
exhausted Cooper went back to his home in Spring- 
field, Massachusetts, in a quandary as to which 
was the more decayed, the Police Court of Minne- 
apolis, or the Highest Ecclesiastical Court of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Although hedged about by so many untoward 
circumstances the writer has never lost faith in 
God, nor in His power to deliver His children out 
of all trouble. 

Now comes the tug of war to support his family. 
The book firm for which he had been working for 
the past year believed his story. To this day the 
writer is working for this same firm. Eeleased 
from the Minneapolis Workhouse, August 29, 1912, 
Cooper began his work of selling books, Septem- 
ber 7, 1912, at Kane, Pennsylvania, a few days be- 
fore the session of the Erie Annual Conference. 
The leading citizens of the town, and the pastor of 
the entertaining church where the session of the 
Conference was held, quickly purchased the fine 
Eeference Volume. The editor of the town paper 
was made acquainted with Cooper 's experiences 
and was true to his word in holding to the position 
that both sides should have a hearing in the 
Cooper case. The Erie Annual Conference evi- 
dently did not desire a discussion. If the Confer- 
ence could have evaded the question no report 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFERENCE 65 



would have been made. The case would have gone 
by default. 

Securing the services of the late Eev. J. N. 
Fradenburgh, D.D., Cooper insisted that the whole 
matter of the General Conference Eeport in the 
case should be published in the ensuing Erie Con- 
ference Minutes. In executive session it was voted 
to make an abridged report. Again did "the end 
justify the means." By stationing himself before 
the dining room door of the hotel which enter- 
tained Bishop William Burt, Cooper managed on 
Monday morning, September 16, 1912, the last day 
of the session of the Erie Conference to press a 
note into the Bishop's hands as he passed into 
breakfast. To the credit of the Bishop the case 
was reopened in the business session and the whole 
report was published in the Erie Annual Confer- 
ence Minutes. 

In journeying over the country the writer who 
has already visited thirty-three States of the 
Union, and has both seen and heard of so many 
jesuitical intrigues on the part of some of our 
chief pastors, that he feels compelled in the fol- 
lowing pages to relate the facts. Before proceed- 
ing further it may be well to state the number of 
clerical orders recognized in the ministry of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. All of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Seminaries teach that there are 
two orders only, Deacons and Elders. di&Kovos — 
Tpespvrepos, ew is kotos and the latter term and 



66 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



are used interchangeably throughout the Holy 
Scriptures. There has been a gradual growth in 
practice among Episcopal Methodists if not in 
theory, surely in practice, to make three orders, 
Deacons, Elders and Bishops. Every pastoral of- 
fice save Bishop is appointive, the latter is elective. 

However, the General Conference reserves the 
right of submitting the report of each Bishop at 
each General Conference, designating which of the 
Bishops shall be effective, and which shall be re- 
tired. This report is acted upon by the vote of 
the entire General Conference, and seldom if ever 
does the vote of the General Conference go against 
the recommendation of the Committee on Episco- 
pacy. On retirement, however, a Bishop receives 
half pay, and can do all the work of an effective 
Bishop, save that of "fixing" the appointments. 
Bev. J. M. Buckley, D. D., than whom there is no 
more level-headed man in Methodism, said at the 
late General Conference at Minneapolis when much 
lachrymose sentiment was being expressed over 
the retirement of three Bishops, "We are wasting 
much unnecessary feeling. I have seen all of these 
Bishops sit in an Annual Conference when 
preachers are about to be retired against their will, 
to go, many of them, to a mere pittance, use their 
influence to force these preachers to retire. These 
same Bishops who on retirement receive half pay, 
now feel afflicted because the General Conference 
insists on their retirement. Let us now consider 



" All Ye Who Have Tears to Shed, Shed 
Them Now." 



POPE JOSEPH THE I. 

Our Canadian Methodist Pope. "I am infallible in judgment and often set aside our 
book of discipline because of my superior judgment." 



NEW YORK EAST CONFERENCE 67 



the church's interest, and not these Bishops.' ' If 
we Methodists recognize two orders only in our 
ministry why not let retired Bishops go back to 
the respective Conference which elevated them to 
the office of Bishop and let them draw pro rata ac- 
cording to the number of years of service out of 
the Conference Claimants' Fund, as do their hum- 
bler brethren? For in Episcopal Methodism the 
Bishopric is an office and not an order. This is the 
only logical outcome of the whole situation, as 
General Conference Secretaries, Book Concern 
Agents, Editors and so forth, all have to do this. 
Why make in practice three orders in our min- 
istry? The last General Conference did a wise 
thing when it districted the Bishops who have 
worked hard and done more effective work during 
the past quadrennium than ever before. 

Besides, it would make the humbler pastors in 
our beloved church more contented. Then the 
Bishops in very truth would be a primus inter 
pares when compared with his humbler minister- 
ial brethren. Let us note some of the Jesuitical 
tendencies of some of our Chief Pastors. As 
Bishop Joseph F. Berry is the chief offender we 
will give his case a whole chapter of special men- 
tion. 

In 1857 this remarkable personage was born in 
a little village in Canada, not far from Toronto, of 
poor but honest parents. Friends who have known 



68 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



the elder Berry say he was a pastor in the Wes- 
leyan Church of Canada, a hard worker, full of 
ambition, but unlike his talented son, Joseph, was 
unable to push himself to the front. This good 
man went to his reward some years ago, leaving 
his wife, now in her ninety-first year, to the care 
of her gifted son, Bishop Joseph F. Berry, D.D., 
LL. D., who illustrates the proverb, "While some 
men were born great, others have greatness thrust 
upon them." This much-talked-of man in his boy- 
hood days attended school in Canada, attending 
the district and presumably the High School. 
What Colleges bestowed upon him the degrees of 
D.D. and LL. D., we have never been able to find 
out. We know, however, that he labored early and 
late over the Michigan Christian Advocate, and 
succeeding on that paper was elected to the editor- 
ship of the Epworth Herald, which made him a 
Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church at the 
General Conference at Los Angeles, California, 
in May, 1904. On hearing of the election of Bishop 
Berry a brilliant editor in American Methodism 
was heard to exclaim, "Now the humblest 
preacher in Methodism can take courage." The 
writer can say so many things of this wonderful 
man which if indulged in would cause the space 
allotted to describe his career to fall far short. 
The author will limit his remarks on this talented 
personage to four particulars : 



NEW YORK EAST CONFERENCE 69 



First : As a Preacher. 

Second : As a Church Dedicator. 

Third : As an Episcopal Editor. 

Fourth : As the President of a Conference. 

Before hearing this eloquent Bishop for our- 
selves we had heard much of his sermons perhaps 
from some who could not appreciate a deep, heart- 
searching philosophical discourse. At any rate 
few of those who talked with the author felt that 
the good Bishop preached with the "Holy Ghost 
sent down from Heaven." The writer first heard 
Bishop Berry preach at the New York Conference 
session in April, 1907. Well do we recall the first 
words of his text, 6 6 Oh, that I might find him. ' ' In 
the sweet spirit of His Master the sermon pro- 
ceeded. The Bishop grew dramatic, his eloquent 
periods fairly poured out upon his hearers, some 
of whom wept, and Bishop Berry wept with them. 
The writer kept saying to himself, "What fault 
can a critic find with this splendid sermon?" 
Truly it was a melting time. As the Bishop re- 
lated the story of his own conversion, described 
how he had led his chums to Christ, truly we said 
"Andrew" has been discounted. Again we heard 
that same sermon before the Central New York 
Conference in October 1907. Unconsciously the 
writer became so imbued with it, and while he took 
no notes he believes he could reproduce it. Still 
again one week later the author heard in Buffalo, 



70 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



New York, before the Genesee Conference the 
same sermon. Now we know we can preach that 
sermon verbatim et literatim et punctuatim. In 
the bounds of the Detroit Conference in May, 1913, 
the writer fell in with a pastor who knows inti- 
mately our Bishop Berry. While still editor 
of the Epworth Herald, Joseph F. Berry had be- 
come imbued with the idea that God had called him 
to the work of the Bishopric. This intimate friend 
said, "Joe, you cannot preach.' 9 "I can try," 
was the laconic response. Truly he has tried. On 
the theory that "practice makes perfect/ 9 as we 
have previously indicated, he repeats his sermons. 

When relating my experiences in hearing Bishop 
JSerry three times preach to a Newark Conference 
man, he replied, "Brother Cooper, my experi- 
ence with Bishop Berry has been different from 
yours. I, too, have heard him preach three times, 
while he preached from three different texts he 
always preached the same sermon. 9 9 

In the Pittsburgh Conference quite recently the 
writer heard an even more remarkable story of 
Bishop Joseph F. Berry's ability as a preacher. 
A leading divine of the Pittsburgh Conference 
was on one occasion nearly electrified by hearing 
one of his most eloquent sermons preached nearly 
word for word by the ingenuous Bishop Berry. 
On talking with the Bishop at the conclusion of 
the services, with the utmost sang-froid the Bishop 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEEENOE 71 



said in reply to the question, " Where did yon get 
my sermon V 9 "I heard you preach it some time 
ago ; as I liked it I have reproduced it, and I have 
preached it better than you did. 9 ' The astonished 
divine left the Bishop's presence speechless, won- 
dering what manner of man this Bishop was. 
Among the preachers of the Pittsburgh Confer- 
ence, Bishop Berry is a seven days wonder unto 
this day. 

Another circumstance about this remarkable 
personage which we will do well to note is his habit 
of indulging in monologues. While many of the 
more charitably disposed think that he is a para- 
noia, this good Bishop actually believes that in 
judgment he is unerring, in motive pure in heart, 
and in action is devoid of all partisan feeling. 
Before the close of the present quadrennium he 
will probably indulge in the following monologue : 

How are they increased that hate my soul to 
destroy it? On every side I hear of disquieting 
rumors on the part of those who would retire me 
from the activities of the Church. After all the 
good I have accomplished for the upbuilding of 
the great Methodist Episcopal Church these carp- 
ing critics would put an end to my ecclesiastical 
career. I am a born ruler, I know how to manage 
and mix with men. The same day I can attend a 
camp meeting, preach holiness to the delight of the 
Sanctified Saints, and go from this charmed circle 



72 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



to a company of stockbrokers and speculators, 
and talk with profit of the possible changes in the 
money market. If ever I am retired from the 
active work of the Bishopric I have a fat pile to 
fall back upon. No! The next General Confer- 
ence shall not retire me. After May, 1916, I will 
then be Senior Effective Bishop of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. While some think that I look 
like an old man I beg to say I am still filled with a 
large reserve force of vitality. Was I not born in 
1857 and humanly speaking will I not reign three 
and possibly four quadrenniums over our Holy 
Church? As the rule now stands a Bishop may 
retire at seventy, but must retire at seventy-three. 
No, I will not retire, because even those who do 
not appreciate my sterling qualities affirm that 
"Joe Berry" can crawl out of the smallest hole, 
of any man in Methodism. However, to defend 
myself, I must carry a larger number of affidavits 
to the next General Conference than ever. Editor 
Eckman is hot after me, and others will rise up to 
rehearse their grievances. Three knotty cases in 
my former district at Buffalo, New York, will be 
rehashed, as Dryer, Howard and Cooper have not 
yet learned that the will of a Bishop in our beloved 
Methodism is supreme. 

To the glory of our great church let it be said 
that up to date no Bishop has ever been put on 
trial. Every Methodist pastor has his price. For 
a good appointment many would even sell their 



NEW YORK EAST CONFERENCE 73 



very souls. I flatter, bribe, cajole and threaten, 
just as the occasion demands. I will have some 
difficulties to face at Saratoga Springs, New York, 
May 1, 1916; but with some very troublesome 
questions on my hands at the last General Confer- 
ence only two adverse votes were cast against me 
in the Committee on Episcopacy. Yes, I will pull 
through for I am regarded as a pious, a great- 
souled, a warm-hearted man. When the time for 
action in my case comes my name will not go be- 
fore the General Conference to be voted upon. I 
will be the Head of the Board of Bishops until at 
least 1928, and possibly 1932. 

Exhausted by the length of this monologue, 
Bishop Berry knelt down by his couch, repeated 
the Golden Eule, and after saying his prayers lay 
down to pleasant dreams. 

Of this great Bishop it can truly be said that like 
the account of our divine Lord as recorded in the 
closing chapter of the Gospel according to St. 
John, "And there are also many things which 
Jesus did, the which, if they should be written 
every one I suppose that even the world itself 
could not contain the books that should be writ- 
ten/' However, in this respect only does Bishop 
Berry resemble our dear Lord. It can be re- 
marked at this time that Bishop Berry goes up 
and down among the churches with his mouth wide 
open continually saying things wise and otherwise, 
generally the latter. 



ELMER ELSWORTH HIGLEY 



AUTHOR OF GIT, GRIT AND GUMPTION 

Methodism, like the ancient fisherman's net, is 
enclosed with a great catch of fishes, and as the 
ancient net had in great numbers the good, bad and 
indifferent, so it is with the net of our beloved 
Methodism. Long before I personally knew Dr. 
Elmer Elsworth Higley, I learned to love and 
admire him. From the rocky fastnesses of Hills- 
ville, Pennsylvania, I read in the daily papers of 
Newcastle, Pennsylvania, the constant deeds of 
valor of this distinguished man's life. Ever 
active, always progressve, he kept on the watch to 
promote his own interests. In school affairs he 
was ever in demand, as repeatedly it was pub- 
lished that for the third consecutive time Dr. Hig- 
ley had been requested to preach before the gradu- 
ating class of the Newcastle High School. With 
many people the ever present name of a person in 
the daily press is a sure index of that personage's 
popularity in the public eye. So it was with Dr. 
Higley. He thoroughly believed in the use of 
printer's ink. He was the best and most persist- 
ently advertised man in Newcastle, Pennsylvania, 
yea, in all the Erie Annual Conference. To visit 
with him was an inspiration. A classmate of his 
at Drew, now a member of the Central New York 
Conference, kept him informed of the virtues of 

74 



REV. E. E. HIGLEY, AUTHOR OF "GIT. GRIT AND GUMPTION. 
Who suppressed the records in the trial of R. T. Cooper at the Erie Con 
ference in September, 1908. 



ELMEE ELSWOETH HIGLEY 



75 



the writer. I have often wondered after a visit 
with Dr. Higley how he came to know so intimately 
of my pastoral record in the Central New York 
Conference. 

The great glory of Methodism is her connec- 
tional spirit. Work done in one Conference counts 
in universal Methodism. 

Dr. Glenn A. Baldwin had been my predecessor 
in Sodus Point, New York. On leaving the charge 
he had carried off the Methodist Hymn Book 
moneys. As it was the new pastor's duty, both to 
deliver the Hymn Books and to settle with Eaton 
and Mains, naturally he would be interested in 
what Dr. Baldwin had done with those funds. 
Correspondence revealed that Dr. Baldwin had 
departed from his usual business custom of 
sending a check or post-office order, and in this 
special instance had carelessly sent a bank bill. 
That particular letter never reached the writer, 
although Dr. Baldwin claimed that he had sent it 
in the same mail with letters to other Sodus Point 
parties, all of whom, save the writer, had received 
their letters. Dr. Baldwin thought it very strange 
that Cooper had failed to receive his letter. As 
the Dead Letter Department of the United States 
Post-Office never forwarded to Dr. Baldwin that 
letter, and as the lynx-eyed postmistress at Sodus 
Point, New York, who was very much interested 
in Dr. Baldwin, who at that time was an unmarried 
gentleman, claims that Dr. Baldwin's letter to the 



76 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



writer was not received at the Sodus Point Post- 
Office, it goes without saying that from that 
episode "strained relations' 9 existed between Dr. 
Baldwin and the writer, especially as the writer 
paid for the Hymn Books. Consequently our 
readers will not have to draw on their imagina- 
tions to guess the purport of Dr. Baldwin's state- 
ment to Dr. Higley concerning the writer. 

"Whatever faults Dr. Higley may have, his 
genial, sympathetic nature always makes him a 
host of friends. In the sick room his presence is 
both inspiring and cheering. 

He gave freely of his time to the writer at the 
hospital in Newcastle, Pennsylvania, and while 
with others he gave the writer up to die, on my 
very gradual recovery he was kindness itself. Both 
he and Dr. Douglas knew how near the gates of 
'death I had come, and yet both of these men 
moved heaven and earth to destroy me body and 
soul. Dr. Douglas even wrote a paragraph in his 
District report to the ensuing Annual Conference 
of the critical illness of E. T. Cooper. 6 6 The ways 
of Providence are past finding out." With the 
following incident concerning Eev. Dr. Elmer 
Elsworth Higley, I will close my report of his 
brilliant career, as it has come under the eye of 
the writer. 

In April, May and June, 1913, the writer made 
an itinerary of fifty of the largest cities of 
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois 



ELMEE ELSWOETH HIGLEY 77 



in the interests of a New York publishing house. 
While in one of those states a prominent Methodist 
divine showed me the correspondence which had 
passed between himself and Dr. Higley, who at 
that time was pastor of Grace Church, Denver, 
Colorado. Dr. Higley had left the First Church, 
Newcastle, Pennsylvania, because one of his 
children needed the bracing air of Colorado. 
Owing to the recovery of the child, his wife, who 
is a very excellent woman, now wanted to get 
nearer her Eastern friends. In fact, Dr. Higley 
said she was fairly pining for them. In the spirit 
of true self-abnegation Dr. Higley was willing, 
yea, even anxious to give up his beautiful parish 
in Colorado in exchange with this divine, for rea- 
sons already stated. 

After prayerful consideration this divine felt 
that his work in his present charge had not been 
completed, and hence he decided to remain. As 
Dr. Higley personally felt the same about his 
Denver Church, and said he could bask forever in 
the bracing air of Colorado, both divines remained 
in their respective charges. Three months later, 
Dr. Elmer Elsworth Higley was pastor of Grace 
Church, Des Moines, Iowa, said to be both the 
largest and wealthiest Methodist Episcopal Church 
in that State. 



THE PERSONNEL OF THE ERIE ANNUAL 
CONFERENCE, 



Let us now glance for a brief period at the 
geography of the Erie Conference. In disciplinary 
language, Erie Conference shall be bounded on 
the north by Lake Erie, on the east by a line com- 
mencing at the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek; 
thence up said creek to Gowanda, leaving said 
town in the Genesee Conference; thence to the 
Allegheny River at the mouth of the Tunungwant 
Creek, thence up said creek southward, excluding 
the city of Bradford on said creek, to the ridge 
dividing between the waters of Clarion and Sin- 
nemahoning Creeks; thence southward to Maho- 
ning Creek; thence down said creek to the Al- 
legheny River, excluding the Milton Society, but 
including Valier and the Horatio Society, in the 
Frostburg Circuit, the Perrysville Society in the 
Ringgold Circuit, the Putneyville Society in the 
Putneyville Circuit, and those portions of the 
boroughs of Punxsutawney and Clayville lying 
south and east of the Mahoning Creek; thence 
across said river in a northwesterly direction to 
the southwest corner of Lawrence County, in- 
cluding Wampum; thence along the Ohio State 
line to the place of beginning, excluding Orange- 
ville Church. 

78 



PEKSONNEL OF EEIE CONFERENCE 79 



In its history Erie Annual Conference ever 
abounded in great men, whose fame has filled the 
entire world. If called upon to give the names of 
their illustrious decendants, twelve men loom up 
before me, who already have made a lasting im- 
pression upon my mind. 

At my first Conference session in September, 
1908; as I glanced casually over the array of 
distinguished men, Drs. Douglas, Borland, Gra- 
ham, Higley, Fradenburgh, Minnigh, Crouch, 
Prather, Ogden, MacDonald, W. H. Crawford and 
D. A. Piatt were the twelve men without invidious 
comparison appeared to me the very cream of the 
Conference. This session was notable as a 
Conference of Church trials, one man was permit- 
ted to withdraw from the ministry and member- 
ship of the Methodist Episcopal Church, another 
man was formally convicted on "High Imprudence 
and un-Ministerial Conduct." By the advice of 
his friends this brother took a supernumerary 
relation, but was afterwards given a supply ap- 
pointment, and as has already been stated E. T. 
Cooper was expelled from the ministry and mem- 
bership of the church, although only a few months 
in active relationship with the Erie Annual Con- 
ference. The writer never blamed the rank and 
file of the Erie Conference for its action in his 
case. The ring rule of the Conference was so 
implicated in the church trial that it forced the 
whole Conference into complicity with its jesuitical 



80 



JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



methods. Twice since the deplorable affair the 
writer has invaded the boundaries of this old-time 
Conference to sell reference books. Both times 
he was cordially received by the brethren, who 
have been quite generous in the purchase of his 
books. As it was the case in leaving the Min- 
neapolis Workhouse where both officers and in- 
mates generally asserted their belief in the 
innocence of the writer, so, too, in the Erie Annual 
Conference may expressed themselves along the 
same line. The Erie Conference ring for years 
stifled the conscience of the whole Conference by 
drastic measures. W. H. Crawford, President 
of Allegheny College, has his strong points, but 
for political favors he sold out his manhood years 
ago. 

Today in the streets of Meadville, Pennsylvania, 
his college home, he is almost universally called, 
both by student and town-folk, "William Ananias 
Crawford.'' In the minds of most people the 
conclusion has been reached that this man will 
never be elevated to the office and work of a Bishop 
in the Church of God. 

Of our old friend Dr. T. W. Douglas the writer 
learned on a recent visit to the Erie Conference 
that he is now in his dotage, and is fast losing his 
mind. His public career began by voting for 
Abraham Lincoln, and he still continues to live in 
the past century, preaching from events that hap- 
pened in Lincoln's time. The Cambridge Springs 



PEKSONNEL OF EEIE CONFERENCE 81 

Church so languished and declined under his two 
years' pastorate that his District Superintendent 
MacDonald was asked by the church to quietly 
remove Douglas so as not to injure this good 
old man. 

The long curly haired, sanctimonious faced 
MacDonald still abides in the Conference with eye 
undimmed, and natural force unabated. In his 
own estimation he is a great man, and loves the 
work of the District Superintendency above his 
chief joy. Doubtless he will be willing to visit 
Saratoga Springs, New York, May 1, 1916, in the 
capacity of a delegate to the General Conference. 
E. S. Borland, in whose heart the milk of human 
kindness soured years ago, stands in the Confer- 
ence like a manikin. Eev. Dr. J. M. Crouch, who 
has been a Conference war-horse in his day, and 
has defended many of his brethren in the hour 
of their troubles, owing the feeble health is now 
on the retired list. He richly deserves the best 
the Conference can give him. Space forbids the 
writer to specialize in the cases of the remaining 
distinguished men of the Conference. 

Drs. Fradenburgh and Prather have gone to 
their long home, and each left behind him a 
fragrant memory. In general the Erie Conference 
is still ring-ruled, but some day, we trust not far 
distant, the Conference ring will be broken, and 
men all over the Erie Conference will praise God 
for his goodness, and for His wonderful works to 



82 



JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



the children of men. Before closing this chapter 
on the Erie Conference it may be well to insert 
the following dialogue between Drs. Donglas and 
Higley over the Cooper case. It occurred just 
after Dr. Douglas returned from the General 
Conference session at Baltimore, Meryland, late 
in June, 1908. 

Dr. Higley: "What did you learn of Cooper 
while at the General Conference V 9 

Dr. Douglas: "Both Jewell and Giles, the two 
leading delegates from the Central New York 
Cenference, say 'You Erie people now have 
Cooper down, and they said we will help you to 
butcher him. 9 9 9 

Dr. Higley: "I, too, have been busy in corre- 
sponding with a number of the Central New York 
Conference men. My friend and class-mate, Dr. 
G. A. Baldwin, has stirred up many of that Confer- 
ence to write to different parties of the Erie Con- 
ference blackening the character of Cooper, and 
by an overwhelming mass of testimony against 
him, Cooper will be ground to powder at the 
session of our Annual Conference at Jamestown, 
New York." 

Dr. Douglas : "Have you seen Miles, Jacobs and 
Eoberts of Youngstown recently? By some means 
Cooper should be gotten over there before we 
proceed with the preliminary investigation. The 
link in the chain is not yet complete. ' 9 

Dr. Higley: "In every way I have tried to 
draw Cooper out, but to no avail. I have posed 
as his friend — had him to dinner, but he is as 
close as a clam. I have seen our friend Bishop 



PERSONNEL OF ERIE CONFERENCE 83 



Berry, however, and he will stand with us when 
Oooper is brought to trial, and screen us at every 
point.' ' v 

Dr. Douglas: "We must leave no stone un- 
turned to convict Cooper. I believe that after the 
preliminary investigation at Newcastle, Pennsyl- 
vania, which we will make horribly filthy, Cooper 
will take fright, take to his heels and run away. 
Let us all hope and pray that he will do so." 

Then these two divines bade each other good-bye, 
and each, went his own way thinking that God 
had not noted their vile conspiracy. 

At a subsequent meeting of these two conspira- 
tors, Dr. W. P. Graham, the Secretary of the Erie 
Conference, also stationed on the Newcastle Dis- 
trict, was present and made acquainted with all 
the details of the plot. This scribe was seeking 
a change in his field of labor, and was assured 
by Dr. Douglas that if he was faithful in the 
records of the Cooper case, he would be "taken 
care of. ' ' How well Graham did his part is shown 
in the incomplete records of the case as kept 
by Dr. E. E. Higley, appointed by Graham at 
J amestown, New York, to act for the Erie Annual 
Conference. Again did "the end justify the 
means." 

John Wesley, under God the founder of Meth- 
odism, taught his followers to build plain churches 
and to pay for them. Modern Methodism, as in 
many other ways than church building, has de- 



84 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



parted widely from the advice of John Wesley. 
It is pitiful in travelling over the country to notice 
so many Methodist Episcopal churches weighed 
down with enormous debts, which depress both 
pastors and people with financial burdens beyond 
their power to successfully handle. Besides, these 
great debts are a constant menace to the spiritual 
prosperity of the churches. While these debt-laden 
churches are everywhere conspicuous in many of 
our large cities, today, even in Conferences 
abounding in villages, towns and smaller cities, 
these financially over-burdened temples in increas- 
ing numbers are found. The Central New York 
Conference in whose bounds the writer labored for 
twelve years furnishes striking examples of two 
such churches — Trinity, Auburn, New York, and 
Geneva, New York. We here insert the photograph 
of the splendid First Methodist Episcopal Church 
at Geneva, New York, and also of her handsome 
pastor, the Eev. David D. Campbell, D. D., under 
whose supervision the magnificent structure was 
erected. Geneva Methodism until the present 
edifice was erected occupied a humble position. 
She worshipped in a building constructed after 
the pattern of a dry-goods box, but it had the 
virtue of being practically free from debt. Shades 
of John Wesley come back and visit Geneva, New 
York ! How a conservative church like the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church at Geneva could be led 



PEKSONNEL OF EKIE CONFERENCE 85 



into the erection of so costly a church edifice has 
been a conundrum to many a thoughtful mind. 

The services connected with the dedication of 
this beautiful structure occupied a full week. On 
Sunday, June 28, 1914, Bishop Burt formally 
dedicated the church to the glory of God. The 
Geneva Times of Monday, June 29, 1914, says in 
brief : 

The new First Methodist Episcopal Church 
which was formally dedicated yesterday by Bishop 
Burt, D. D., LL. D., of Buffalo, New York, has 
been erected at a cost of $130,000. The building 
of the edifice was begun about two years ago and 
is now practically completed with the exception of 
a few furnishings. The total amount of money 
raised on Dedication Day which was done through 
the envelope system and plate collections was 
$3,601.52, which was most gratifying to the pastor 
and those who have the charge of the finances of 
the church. 

An extract from the District report of Dr. W. E. 
Brown at the recent session of the Central New 
York Conference held in the splendid edifice of 
the First Methodist Episcopal Church at Geneva, 
New York, further says : 

Dr. D. D. Campbell with his calm courage and 
strong faith in the ultimate victory of the enter- 
prise has successfully led in the completion of the 
work. Geneva needed a new church. With this 
splendid equipment Methodism lifts up her head 



86 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



and goes forth to a larger ministry in the city and 
the world. The report of the treasurer of the 
Board of Trustees at the fourth quarterly Confer- 
ence showed that $21,000 had been paid into his 
hands from subscriptions during the past year. 
A total of $63,000 has been paid since the enter- 
prise began. The total cost of the building is 
$140,000. There is an indebtedness against the 
property of $85,000. The pastor reports good 
subscriptions aggregating $70,000. The old church 
property is estimated at $15,000. This with the 
reported subscriptions practically covers the in- 
debtedness. 

With this report before us all Methodism should 
loudly sing the long meter doxology, with the 
Geneva Church. But alas! Many of these sub- 
scriptions will not stand the test of collection. Dr. 
D. D. Campbell has such novel ways of taking 
pledges. Those who have followed in other 
charges say of him that his faith in humanity is 
so great that he does not regard it as at all neces- 
sary that the pledges be signed by the promisee, 
but a verbal pledge is entirely satisfactory to this 
wonderful church builder. In approaching a pros- 
pective giver Dr. Campbell is quoted as saying, 
"Brother Blank gave me a promise of $1,000 for 
the church. He is not worth nearly as much as you 
are, will you not also pledge $1,000?" "I cannot 
afford it. I will give $300," replies the other. "But 
you would like to give $1,000, wouldn't you?" 



PERSONNEL OP ERIE CONFERENCE 87 



said Dr. Campbell. "Oh, yes," replies the other. 
Dr. Campbell takes the intent for the deed, and 
puts down this brother for $1,000, thanks the 
brother and goes forth to pledge other brethren 
for even larger subscriptions. The writer has been 
informed that up to date the Geneva Official Board 
has not seen the list as Dr. Campbell strictly re- 
gards that list as a "work of faith." Possibly 
Dr. Campbell intends to still further swell his list 
until the entire $85,000 is covered, leaving the sale 
of the old church property as a bonus to the Gene- 
va Church for still further improvements on their 
magnificent church property. Until Dr. Campbell 
turns over his report of the subscription list com- 
pleted to the Geneva Official Board let "judgment 
be reserved." As Dr. Charles Drake Skinner 
after building the beautiful church at Auburn, 
New York, was lifted to the Presidency of Cazeno- 
via Seminary, leaving his successors to collect the 
immense debt, why shouldn't Dr. Campbell, whose 
stupendous work at Geneva, New York, stands 
head and shoulders higher than that of Trinity, 
Auburn, New York, be lifted, yea, even to the 
seventh heaven by Bishop Burt ? 

The writer does not share the pessimistic view 
of some that the elegant First Methodist Episcopal 
Church at Geneva, New York, will finally be sold 
for debt. These doubting "Thomases" point to 
several lugubrious facts relating to the future 
of Geneva Church among which we will enumerate 



88 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



the following only. First, the immense interest 
bill which must be paid yearly; why after all the 
prayers, exhortations, eloquent sermons and so 
forth of the whole week of dedication $3,601.52, 
barely enough to pay nine months interest on the 
church debt, was raised. Secondly, the uncertainty 
surronding the collection of the remaining $85,000 
of the church debt. Thirdly, the immense increase 
of current expenses to a church financially so poor 
as that of Geneva, New York. Still other reasons 
are set forth, but the writer pooh-poohs at them 
all. The author knows both Bishop William Burt 
and the great Methodist Episcopal Church. The 
pastor's salary at Geneva will surely be paid in 
full, even though the building fund is used up to 
pay current expenses. Dr. Campbell is a firm 
believer in the scriptural quotation, ' 6 The laborer 
is worthy of his hire." Owing to the war in 
Europe and the prevalence of the hard times in 
the United States, our church authorities will 
graciously excuse the using of the Church Build- 
ing Fund money to pay current expenses at 
Geneva. Possibly after a few years the unpro- 
vided church debt at Geneva may run into $100,- 
000. Your district Superintendent, Dr. Brown, 
reported at the recent session of the Conference 
that your pastor was a man of calm courage and 
undaunted faith. Covet earnestly, ye saints of 
Geneva, these beautiful graces which adorn the 
life of your pastor. There is no need of fear 



PERSONNEL OF ERIE CONFERENCE 89 



regarding the future of the First Methodist Epis- 
copal Church at Geneva. 

The Roman Catholics always have an eye open 
for the immediate purchase of debt-ladened Meth- 
odist Episcopal churches, especially if the church 
edifice proves to be as magnificent in its appoint- 
ments as the one at Geneva, New York. With 
the imperative need of paying back the $12,000 
borrowed from the Central New York Conference 
Claimants' Fund by the Geneva Church, and for 
meeting other pressing obligations, the ringing 
cry will be raised by the intrepid Bishop Burt, and 
the omnipresent cry will resound throughout 
the entire Methodist world, calling on faithful 
Methodists everywhere to send in at once their 
bottom dollar to rescue the beautiful Methodist 
structure at Geneva, New York, from the hands 
of the ruthless Eoman Catholic priesthood. That 
penetrating cry raised by Bishop Burt will save 
the day. Always when other means fail the cry 
against Roman Catholicism succeeds in raising 
the requisite funds. In any other Methodist 
Episcopal Church save that at Geneva, New York, 
or a better putting of the case would be, in any 
other church save the one which had Dr. D. D. 
Campbell for pastor, the dedicatory services would 
have seen present either that master in raising 
church funds, Rev. John Krantz, or our highly 
esteemed Bishop Joseph F. Berry. 



90 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



The relating of an incident connected with the 
dedication of the commodious Methodist Episcopal 
church at Berlin, Maryland, in the bounds of the 
Wilmington Conference, may be of interest to 
'our readers. The Committee at Berlin, Maryland, 
invited Bishop Berry to dedicate their church, 
but wanted Dr. John Krantz to raise the money 
needed to clear off their debt. Bishop Berry ac- 
cepted the invitation to dedicate the church, but 
demurred at having Dr. Krantz present to raise 
the funds. 6 6 Why, ' ' said the earnest Bishop, ' 6 Dr. 
Krantz will charge you $100. I can raise the 
needed funds myself. ' ' Dr. J. Krantz accordingly 
lost a good job, and with it a hundred dollar bill. 
God smiled on the efforts of Bishop Berry at 
Berlin, Maryland, and the entire debt was pledged. 
The grateful people gave the successful Bishop 
$25, which certainly would be a liberal expense 
account for passage to and from Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania. The Bishop sorrowfully looked at 
the money and then beamed on those who prof- 
erred it, and said, "John Krantz would have 
charged you $100 for raising your church debt. 
I charge nothing for my sermons and services as 
Bishop, but I have raised your debt. Take back 
the $25 and go aside and pray over the matter.'' 
The Committee retired in not a prayerful frame 
of mind. Eight days after in a blank letter Bishop 
Berry received a check for $50 from Berlin, Mary- 
land. In the meantime Bishop Berry had ar- 



PEKSONNEL OF EKIE CONFEKENCE 91 



ranged with Bishop Cranston to hold the following 
session of the Wilmington Conference at Berlin, 
Maryland. Bishop Berry held in exchange the 
ensuing session of the Baltimore, Maryland, Con- 
ference. 

The writer sold reference books in Youngs- 
town, Ohio, early in December, 1914, and sold a 
copy of the book to the pastor of Epworth Church. 
Bishop Berry dedicated that new Epworth Church 
in that city, December 6, 1914. E. T. Cooper was 
invited to preach that same day in another Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church of that city, but declined 
feeling sure that the city walls of Youngstown, 
Ohio, would certainly fall down if on the same day 
two such luminaries delivered sermons in the same 
city. At Hillsville, Pennsylvania, the only charge 
he served in the Erie Conference, E. T. Cooper 
on Sunday, December 6, worshipped "the God of 
his fathers," being carried up and down that great 
hill by Brother Burkey, the faithful treasurer of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church at Hillsville, 
Pennsylvania. 

John Wesley in a very short time after establish- 
ing the Society of Methodists began selling books, 
magazines, periodicals and all kinds of religious 
publications. This far-sighted man of God clearly 
saw that no permanent results would be obtained 
"if my people perish for the lack of knowledge." 
The splendid Book Concerns of the great Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church of today are plainly the 



92 



JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



result of Wesley's long look ahead. With the 
revolving of the decades Methodism had placed 
additional emphasis on the obligation of every 
official member in the church to take at least one 
Methodist Church paper. Today in some great 
Conferences of the church nearly every church on 
the district is on the "roll of honor," from the 
fact that every official member in that church 
reported on the roll of honor takes at least one 
Methodist Church Paper. The results are clearly 
manifested in increasing benevolences, gifts to 
Colleges, Seminaries, Hospitals and Deaconesses' 
Homes, etc. From a child born in a New England 
Methodist parsonage the writer read the New 
York Christian Advocate, the Zion Herald, and 
from the time it first came out the Epworth 
Herald. Later with the change of Conference re- 
lations, the Northern Christian Advocate and 
Pittsburgh Advocate informed him of the doings 
of both local and worldwide Methodism. From 
the inception of his work as a pastor, the writer 
made it his aim to circulate the church papers. 
Even while building and paying for Bethany 
Church, Syracuse, New York, the late Dr. Oscar 
Houghton, then stationed at Clifton Springs, New 
York, ran a race with the writer to see who would 
send in the largest list of subscribers to the 
Northern. At first, Dr. Houghton would be ahead, 
and then Cooper. 

Finally Dr. Houghton gave up the battle, as he 
was limited to a village, while Cooper had a large 



PEESONNEL OF EEIE CONFEEENCE 93 



city to roam over. We believe that the final 
tally of that canvass resulted in Clifton Springs 
sending in 125 Northern subscribers, Bethany, 
Syracuse, 171 Northerns. During that canvass 
the writer's song was "the field is the world, 
the world is my parish." The late editor B. E. 
Titus, at that time editor of the Northern, strongly 
urged the writer to become the Business Manager 
of the Northern. While the writer liked and ad- 
mired Editor Titus, for prudential reasons, he de- 
clined to leave the pastorate. Frequently did 
Editor Titus warn the writer against certain 
brethren of the Central New York Conference. 
"Your great success is a reflection on their lack 
of success," he would often tell me. "Who can 
stand before envy?" 

Eeverting again to Bishop Joseph P. Berry, who 
attained his present office in the church through 
the editorial chair, let the writer here say the next 
General Conference will undoubtedly give much 
attention to concentrating the scope of our Church 
Papers. In travelling over thirty-three States, 
the author has made it his business to compare 
Methodist Church papers with those of our sister 
churches. Without a desire to stir up strife, no 
religious paper published in the world goes ahead 
of the New York Christian Advocate, either under 
Dr. Buckley's editorship, or under the present 
administration. Bishop Berry has undertaken a 
great task when he leaves his legitimate work as 
a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 



94 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



attempts to be editor, church debt raiser, and a 
multitude of other things in addition to the heavy 
work of the Bishopric. 

The writer was selling reference books in the 
bounds of the New Jersey Annual Conference 
when the war broke out between Dr. Eckman and 
Bishop Berry last May over "Editorial Episco- 
pacy. ' 9 Seated in the parlor of a commodious par- 
sonage of the Methodist Episcopal Church the 
writer had a heart to heart talk with one of the 
leading pastors of Bishop Berry's District. This 
pastor soon showed that he stood squarely by Dr. 
Eckman in his position that official church papers 
should have the right of way over the non-official 
papers in every official papers' district. To my 
great surprise I found among the brainy class of 
pastors, not only in Bishop Berry's district, but all 
over the church, a strong resentment against the 
crowding in to the detriment of the circulation of 
the great official, these cheap papers. "Are we to 
pauperize Methodist literature in order that 
Mountebank Bishops may air their particular 
views of work?" God forbid! At some of the 
Conferences held in Bishop Berry's special ter- 
ritory, when making their district reports, district 
superintendents have gone out of their way to 
report a larger circulation of the Methodist Times 
than that of the New York Christian Advocate in 
their respective districts. These district superin- 
tendents believe in "standing by Bishop Berry." 



PEKSONNEL OF EEIE CONFEEENCE 95 



Wordly wise are these dear brethren! No more 
discriminating work at the approaching General 
Conference can be made by onr lawmakers than 
the concentrating and uplifting the standard of 
our authorized church papers. Again Bishops of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church need to be as far 
removed as possible from the rancor of party 
strife. Bishop Berry can count himself as for- 
tunate if he does not have to answer to the charge 
of publicly criticizing the methods employed at 
the last General Conference regarding the election 
of Bishop Thirkield. 

Admitting for the sake of argument that Bishop 
Thirkield was the Bishop of lightest weight elected 
at the last General Conference at Minneapolis, 
the best judges of these men freely affirm if Bishop 
Berry and Bishop Thirkield were weighed in the 
same scales, Bishop Thirkield would throw Bishop 
Berry high up in the scales. It is current through- 
out some quarters of the great Methodist Epis- 
copal Church that just previous to the last General 
Conference Bishop Berry stated to friends that 
if he could be elected Editor of the New York 
Advocate he would be willing to accept of the 
honor and would ask to be relieved of the work 
of the Bishopric. We will not vouch for these 
rumors, but if they are true much light is thrown 
on the question raised by Dr. Eckman's article, 
"Editorial Episcopacy." Let brotherly love 
continue. We are writing a book and must pass 
right on to the weightier matters of the law, 



PEESONNEL OF THE CENTEAL NEW YOEK 
CONFEEENCE 

In disciplinary language the geography of the 
Central New York Conference is described as 
follows : 

Central New York Conference shall be bounded 
on the west by the west lines of the towns of 
Williamson, Marion and Palmyra in Wayne 
County, and of the towns of Farmington and 
Canandaigua in Ontario County, and of Yates 
and Schuyler Counties, and of the towns of 
Hornby and Caton in Steuben County, and in the 
State of Pennsylvania by the railroad running 
from Lawrenceville to Blossburg including Mans- 
field and Blossburg Charges; on the south by 
Central Pennsylvania Conference ; on the east by 
Wyoming and Northern New York Conferences; 
on the North by Northern New York Conferences 
and Lake Ontario. 

With this geography of the Conference in mind 
and noting that the General Conference set off 
the Central New York territory as an independent 
Conference forty-seven years ago, we can readily 
see that many notable pastors have grown up in 
this historic territory, done their life work and 
passed on to join the great majority. 

Following the unanimous report, both of the 
legal and clerical vindication of E. T. Cooper in 

96 



CENTEAL NEW YOEK CONFEEENCE 



97 



the New York East Conference in October, 1895, 
he was transferred to the Central New York Con- 
ference at his own request. In open session of the 
Conference held in Newark, New York, in October, 
1905, the late Bishop E. Gr. Andrews made the 
request to the Conference and by a unanimous 
rising vote E. T. Cooper became a member of the 
Conference at its twenty-eighth session. In an- 
other part of this book the appointments and work 
of the writer have been touched upon. 

The purpose now is to revive some memories 
connected with several of the leaders of the Con- 
ference. 

It has always been a great comfort to the writer 
to remember that underneath the fruit trees bear- 
ing the choicest grades of fruit the larger number 
of clubs are ever plainly in evidence. From the 
moment he was transferred into the Central New 
York Conference until the day he was transferred 
out E. T. Cooper had to run a veritable gauntlet. 
Central New York Conference with its mammoth 
University was filled with a supply of good 
preachers far above the ordinary. It was a case 
of 6 6 there was no room for him in the inn. 9 9 Bishop 
Andrews invited the writer to enter the Cabinet 
of the Central New York Conference at Newark, 
New York. It was found that only one field was 
open to the writer, a small charge on Elmira Dis- 
trict. The late Eev. E. J. Hermans of Geneva 
District said, "Brother Cooper, our own bright 



98 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



young men need every good charge in the Confer- 
ence." Quickly the reply was made, "Brother 
Hermans, your bright young men will want my 
charge after I have worked in it one year." So 
it proved. The presiding elder of Elmira District 
told the writer at the ensuing Conference that 
six of the men of Elmira District alone had in- 
formed him that "they felt divinely called to fol- 
low E. T. Cooper in his new home at Wellsburgh, 
New York." The trouble did not end with the 
attempt to grab this charge. All through my stay 
in the Conference I had to watch my appointments. 
Churches outside of Central New York burdened 
with heavy debts so intently eyed the writer that 
with the grip of death, and by holding on to the 
horns of the altar of the Central New York Con- 
ference did the author prevent his transfer out 
of the Conference. 

The writer watched the tactics of the great men 
of the Central New York Conference and noted 
how they rose to power. Eliminating from our 
consideration all save the effective men of this 
Conference we will say that the good, bad and 
indifferent were well represented in the Confer- 
ence work, such men as Drs. E. M. Mills, F. T. 
Keeney, C. E. Hamilton, W. E. Brown and others 
were known far beyond the bounds of the local 
Conference, and were men of honor and notable 
for good works. The other district superin- 
tendents of the Conference together with Drs. 



CENTRAL NEW YORK CONFERENCE 99 



Bosengrant, Copeland, Hooker, C. M. Eddy, W. 
H. Yard and others well known in the local Confer- 
ence, if not beyond, were men who would make 
friends and come to places of more or less 
prominence in any Conference to which they 
might be attached. Time forbids us to specify fur- 
ther. In a nut-shell the eyes of the majority of the 
Central New York Conference men have been gra- 
ciously opened, and it is exceedingly doubtful if 
any undeserving brother will secure the chance of 
visiting Saratoga Springs, New York, in the ca- 
pacity of a delegate from the Central New York 
Conference. 

Before it slips the mind of the writer it may be 
pleasing to the members of the Central New York 
Conference to know that two business offers, both 
from the same parties, were made to E. T. Cooper 
in November, 1907, while he was waiting for 
Bishop Berry to fix his appointment. The Palol 
Chemical Company of Fayetteville, New York, of 
which firm Charles J. Jewell is President, twice 
urged the writer to sell their "Tasteless Castor 
Oil" product. Even if I were regarded as a black 
sheep by the eyes of the elder Jewell the son saw 
greatness in the writer as he prophesied that a 
harvest of dollars would come the writer's way if 
I would embark in his venture. God gave me grace 
to decline the proposition. The writer reasoned 
that a man who would leave denistry to engage in 
poultry raising, and then become an oil merchant 



100 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



was a Jack-of-all-trades, and we all know the fate 
of the rolling stone. Not long after my transfer 
from the Conference through a Syracuse doctor 
the writer saw a letter whose author was the elder 
Jewell, begging an old man whom Charles J. 
J ewell had robbed of money to show mercy on his 
son. The elder Jewell while he was holding up his 
left hand imploring mercy for his son, was at the 
same time with his right hand running a poisoned 
dagger into the very vitals of a brother Methodist 
pastor. How does God regard such things ! Cer- 
tainly not with favor. The elder Jewell did not 
escape the consequences of his malicious attack on 
the writer. He was hauled over the coals in no 
gentle way by H. S. Duncan, President of the 
Board of Trustees of Wallington, New York, for 
his lying tongue. As a large company of men in 
the trolley station heard the conversation it will be 
unnecessary for the elder Jewell to waste his time 
in denying it. All through his career in the Central 
New York Conference the writer had to put up 
with petty meannesses, and to be continually on 
guard against every kind of contemptible rumors, 
started and circulated even by jealous pastors. 
Many years ago the writer committed the follow- 
ing lines : 

"He who would without malice pass his days 
Must live obscure and never merit praise. ' ' 



LIFE AMONG THE EOMAN CATHOLIC 
PEIESTS 

During the past three or four years it has been 
the privilege and joy of the writer to meet hun- 
dreds of Eoman Catholic priests, a class of men 
grossly misunderstood by thousands of Protes- 
tants. The writer can bear cheerful and truthful 
testimony to the purity and nobleness of the lives 
of multitudes of these much abused men. Going 
to their rectories at times when they were not look- 
ing for the writer, I took them unawares. By the 
aid of a most powerful microscope I found no 
bones of infants in their cellars (possibly quick- 
lime had done its work). In their attics after a 
most persistent and diligent search no stored arms 
were found, although said to be there, ready to 
butcher unsuspecting Protestants at a moment's 
notice. While eating frequently with these priests 
on no occasion did the writer find poison in their 
cups; but he did find in many instances men of 
refinement, of polished manners, lovers of good 
books, possessors of large libraries, men of studi- 
ous habits, and above all men of the highest type 
of Christian manhood. The Archbishops, 
Bishops, Monsignors, Vicar-Generals, the Heads 
of all the religious orders down to the humblest 
priests and curates, generally received the writer 
with courtesy and generally bought his reference 

101 



102 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



books. How many times during the past three or 
four years has the writer been a guest in the 
Eoman Catholic rectories ? These vice-regents of 
Jesus Christ on earth do not confine their menu 
cards to broiled fish, locusts and wild honey. 

The very best food in the market graces their 
tables and the soul of good cheer — unstinted hos- 
pitality is everywhere in evidence. After par- 
taking of a luncheon in a Eoman Catholic rectory 
the writer was glad to refrain from eating the 
next meal. 

To secure an audience with a Eoman Catholic 
priest is not always an easy task. If the writer 
went around to call at 8 a. m. the priest was in 
the church saying Mass, if the call was made much 
after 9 a. m. the priest was busy with parochial 
duties connected with school, sick calls, etc. The 
sure time to find the priest was about 1 p. m. or 
between 7 and 8 p. m. These devoted priests are 
so engaged in taking care of their own flocks that 
they have no time to meddle with or mix up in the 
affairs of their Protestant neighbors. Some rant- 
ing and bigoted Protestants look upon the gen- 
erality of Eoman Catholic priests as wine bibbers, 
,men of unbridled appetites, steeped in tobacco, 
etc. As Abraham Lincoln said to some carping 
critics of General U. S. Grant, who they alleged 
got drunk, "Buy the same brand of liquor and use 
it," was the advice of the astute Lincoln. While 
from his youth the writer has been a total ab- 
stainer from the use of both liquor and tobacco, 



LIFE AMONG CATHOLIC PRIESTS 103 



he lias more respect for those Eoman Catholic 
priests who openly and aboveboard pass their 
choice cigars, and use the social glass, than he has 
for those Protestant pastors who after solemnly 
promising at the altars of the church that they 
will wholly abstain from the use of these things, 
pull down their curtains and secretly both smoke 
and drink. Hypocrisy is a sin which our Master 
loudly excoriated. If the writer was as sure of 
Heaven as some of these devoted priests, he would 
breathe more freely. 

Some Protestants allege that the Eoman Cath- 
olic priests are bigoted. Let us look into it. "What 
is the cardinal doctrine of the Eoman Catholic 
Church? There is but one true church, the Holy 
Eoman Catholic Church, and outside of the pale 
of which there is no salvation. A firm belief in 
these teachings makes all of the Eoman Catholic 
priests intensely loyal to the Church. There is a 
mighty difference between loyalty and bigotry. 
The sanctified Methodist thinks there is a very 
poor show of eternal salvation to any who fail 
both to profess and live the Higher Life, and above 
all to those who did not both vote for and advocate 
third party prohibition. In fact they openly teach 
that only through the overflowing of God's mer- 
cies can any one else be saved. Yet these dear 
saints are not bigoted but extremely zealous. Let 
Almighty God be the final judge in these matters. 

"So let our lips and lives express 
The Holy Gospel we profess. " 



BISHOP JOSEPH F. BEERY AS PRESIDENT 
OF AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE 

One of the most trying places to put a Methodist 
Bishop is to preside over the routine proceed- 
ings of an Annual Conference. "Many men of 
many minds ' ' of ttimes make things in an Annual 
Conference quite interesting, especially as they 
center around the making of the appointments. 
In the larger Conferences there is always a good 
deal of solicitude as to which Bishop shall be as- 
signed to preside over their important Confer- 
ences. One of our Bishops, Bishop Joseph F. 
Berry, is always sufficient for all things. Hence 
he comes to preside over any Annual Conference 
in full assurance of faith. Among other Confer- 
ences assigned to him to hold during his first 
quadrennium was the great New York Conference, 
where the human element so frequently enters into 
the "fixing' ' of appointments. Here, as in other 
Conferences, he solemnly informed the brethren 
at the opening session that everything done in the 
Conference would be done in "open shop," every 
man would have a "square deal," the Bishop 
would delightedly give every man a private hear- 
ing about his appointment, and that there should 
be no unpleasant surprises at the close of the Con- 
ference. Such assurances on the part of a Bishop 
would naturally inspire confidence and love. 

104 



BISHOP JOSEPH F. BEEEY 105 



Bishop Berry is always a reformer. He listens to 
all sides. He will never be a partisan. He is 
always a judge. 

At this particular time there were several 
knotty propositions to settle owing to a large num- 
ber of transfers to be made into this great Con- 
ference. While his cabinet, composed of four 
slothful district superintendents, were slumber- 
ing and sleeping through the long hours of the 
night unconcerned over the tangled condition 
of the Conference, this active-brained Bishop 
wrestled with, and agonized over, these knotty 
propositions. He was divinely guided in all of 
his affairs. He took the whole Conference into his 
confidence. He announced the transfers in, and 
the transfers out, of men in pairs, everything was 
done decently and in order. Against his will, Eev. 
Dr. Andrew Gillies was transferred to the Troy 
Conference, and Dr. George C. Peck was trans- 
ferred in for St. Andrew's Church in New York 
City to take the place made vacant by Dr. Gillies. 
A storm of protest and indignation swept over the 
Conference. Finally Bishop Berry said, "Does 
the Conference request me to transfer back into 
the New York Conference, Eev. Dr. Gillies? " 
Quickly all over the church the answer came back, 
"You transferred out of the Conference Dr. Gillies 
without our consent, and now you can transfer 
him back without any advice from us." "Do you 
question my motives?" said the Bishop. "Not 



106 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



your motives, but your judgment," said an in- 
trepid pastor. Bishop Berry wisely re-trans- 
f erred Eev. Dr. Gillies to the New York Con- 
ference. 

A gifted pastor of the New York Conference 
had written the book "In the Land of the Bom- 
berg," which was considered as a roast on the 
Conference. In fact, several of the prominent 
district superintendents and preachers thought 
the book had made an attack upon them per- 
sonally. The author, Eev. B. C. Warren, had 
taken the precaution to present Bishop Berry with 
a copy of the book before the opening of the Con- 
ference Session. The Bishop, after reading it, 
had assured Dr. Warren that there was no objec- 
tionable matter in it. However, after several 
brethren who thought they had been illy used in 
the book had talked it over with Bishop Berry, 
Dr. Warren was informed that his book had 
stirred up the whole Conference. "Right or 
wrong, innocent or guilty, you will be moved to 
a humbler charge where your salary will be cut in 
two," said the irate Bishop. Dr. Warren was 
educating quite a large family of children at that 
time. Bread and butter meant something to them 
at this juncture. He pleaded with the Bishop in 
wrath to remember mercy. At length a promise 
was given by Dr. Warren that he would apologize 
to the Conference for writing the book, and would 
withdraw it from further circulation. Those who 



BISHOP JOSEPH F. BEEEY 



107 



heard that apology to the Conference claim it 
was no apology at all. In fact, it made a bad mat- 
ter worse. However, it partially saved Dr. War- 
ren's appointment. He was moved down from 
$2,000 and parsonage to $1,500 and parsonage, a 
drop of $500 in his grade. Bishop Berry was 
determined at this session of the New York Con- 
ference to remove one or possibly two district 
superintendents. After matters had been weighed 
pro and con, the Bishop was afraid to re- 
move the one, but by the judicious use of flattery 
and promise of advancement determined to re- 
move the other. Just before the reading of ap- 
pointments, he said to the brother to be removed, 
' ' I am about to send you back to a former charge. ' ' 
After protesting at his removal from his district 
the brother said, " After the reading of the ap- 
pointments I would like to speak to a question 
of privilege. " "You can do so," said the Bishop. 
"I will avail myself of that privilege," said the 
brother. 

Bishop Berry went back to his desk on the plat- 
form, changed that brother back to his district 
and read the appointments. The Conference sang 
the doxology and adjourned "sine die." 

Not long ago in holding the New Jersey Con- 
ference, Bishop Berry became quite dramatic in 
the closing hours of the sessions. As in other 
Conferences, pastoral adjustments had been ex- 
ceedingly difficult. A war-horse of the Confer- 



108 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



ence who had been unusually successful in the 
building of churches, but was hard to station sat- 
isfactorily at this session of the Conference, there 
being no suitable opening for him, had prior to 
the opening of the Conference been assured by 
Bishop Berry that "he would take care of him" 
and that he would receive a "square deal" in his 
appointment. "I know of your excellent work, 
and your case shall have precedence." Early in 
the Conference session a very hard place had 
been put down for this brother. He protested. 
The Bishop temporized — finally became concilia- 
tory and asked the brother to suggest some places 
where he would like to go, and promised to do his 
best to send him to one of them. Another brother 
connected by marriage to one of the wealthiest 
families in Camden Methodism was chosen to aid 
in the raising of $200,000 for Pennington Semi- 
nary. This brother, Snyder, was to be paid $3,000 
for his services by the Board of Education and 
would live with his wealthy father-in-law in a 
Camden mansion, and get home quite frequently 
to enjoy his family. Bishop Berry said just be- 
fore reading the appointments, "I feel like a 
butcher, I feel that my fingers are dripping with 
blood. ' ' When in the reading of the appointments 
he came to the name of Brother Snyder he broke 
down completely and cried like a child. "Oh, 
Brother Snyder, my heart is breaking for you. I 
am sending you away from your home and family 



BISHOP JOSEPH F. BEEEY 109 



among strangers, fairly robbing you of your home. 
I shall pray for you and the dear Lord will take 
care of you." 

At the conclusion of these words the Bishop 
leaned forward on the pulpit and fairly sobbed 
aloud. To Brother Brunyate, whom he sent to a 
backwoods charge, he said when Brother Brun- 
yate met him face to face, "Brother Brunyate, it 
was a cruel thing." "Yes," said Brother Brun- 
yate, as he stuck his fist under the Bishop's nose, 
"it was a damnable outrage." "I don't want to 
see you. I don't want to talk with you, Brother 
Brunyate," said the sympathetic Bishop. Quite 
a difference in Bishop Berry's feelings in the 
Brunyate case when compared with the Snyder 
case. In prognosticating over the prospective ap- 
pointment for district superintendent of the Cam- 
den District at the approaching New Jersey Con- 
ference session, the best judges generally think 
that Dr. M. E. Synder stands an extremely good 
chance of succeeding Dr. S. M. Nichols, the pres- 
ent incumbent. 

At this point it can be stated that one of the 
chief tasks of a presiding Bishop's duties is to 
properly fill the districts of a Conference. When- 
ever a vacancy occurs, a multitude of candidates 
arise. Every wire known to a consummate poli- 
tician and ward heeler is pulled. Committees 
galore write to the presiding Bishop or waylay 
him at all times and on all occasions. Bishop 



110 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



Berry loves to please people, especially if tliey 
are of the influential order, or have a fat pocket- 
book. Favors granted to these office seekers must 
be returned to him later on. Bishop Berry always 
has in reserve numerous financial pledges which 
he must redeem. He delights to have on his 
friendship lists a large number of wealthy lay- 
men. Among the ministers he is always asking 
the question (which he knows sooner or later will 
reach the party involved) : "What kind of district 
superintendent timber will Brother Blank make ? 9 9 
With most Methodist Episcopal pastors the 
being made a District Superintendent is next to 
going to Heaven itself. If any should be shaky 
over their chances of finally reaching the Elysian 
fields, they would make sure of the next best place 
and accept the District Superintendency. Bishop 
Berry is credited on several occasions in the dif- 
ferent Conferences where he has presided of offer- 
ing this identical office, where there was only one 
district open, to from five to ten different men. 
Naturally the disappointed ones feel that the blood 
of Ananias courses through the veins of Bishop 
Berry. 

Bishop Berry's Presidency over the Philadel- 
phia Annual Conference, one of the oldest and 
wealthiest in the Methodist connection, is marked 
by several striking incidents. The Philadelphia 
Conference is not only a Conference of great 
churches, but of even greater men. Several 



BISHOP JOSEPH F. BEERY 111 



Bishops have been elected from the bounds of 
this historic Conference and to be both a resi- 
dential and presidential Bishop in this district is 
an honor which any Bishop might be justly proud 
of. The General Conference of 1912 assigned 
Bishop Joseph Berry to this area, and among the 
first things he did was to provide a beautiful Epis- 
copal residence. To show his spirit of utter un- 
selfishness he personally pledged $500, and it is 
said that twenty prominent laymen followed his 
example. Whatever debt now rests on that beau- 
tiful home for Bishops is carried in its interest 
account by the pastors of the Annual Conference 
in Bishop Berry's area — Philadelphia, Wyoming, 
New J ersey and Wilmington. Some short-sighted 
pastors complainingly give the small amount 
assessed on their charges for the interest bill of 
the Bishop's home, and seem to think, as Bishop 
Berry gets his rent free, he ought to pay the 
interest bill himself. 

Shortly before Bishop Luther B. Wilson left 
this Episcopal Area he deemed it wise to re-dis- 
trict the Philadelphia Conference, and accord- 
ingly made the four districts into five districts. 
Naturally this innovation had strong opposition. 
Unlike Bishop Berry's course in the New York 
Conference in 1907, where he dared not change the 
district superintendents but persuaded Bishop D. 
H. Moore, who presided in 1908 over the New 
York Conference, to make the change which he 



112 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



was not brave enough to do himself, Bishop Wil- 
son did, and in the face of strong opposition. To 
make the discontented brethren feel good, Bishop 
Berry sympathized with them, and said, "Bishop 
Wilson would not have dared to do this, save 
that he knew before the last General Conference 
that his new home after the close of the General 
Conference would be in the City of New York." 
Another striking incident where the open mouth 
of " Joe" Berry uttered "things otherwise." 

The Methodist Episcopal Church has ever been 
jealous of the standing of her ministry. Each 
Annual Conference is the judge of the effective- 
ness of her pastors. Hence the change of relation 
which can be entered into during the session of the 
Conference the effective, the supernumerary and 
superannuated relations, are the three relations, 
any one of which a Methodist Episcopal pastor 
may hold to his Conference. Besides these rela- 
tions a pastor can locate, or even withdraw from 
the ministry altogether. In the latter case he 
ceases to be a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and no longer is he a member of the Con- 
ference. Bishop Berry, like all other Bishops, 
cannot always give an appointment pleasing to 
each individual pastor. Eev. Clifford P. Futcher 
at the session of the Philadelphia Conference 
of 1914 felt aggrieved that Bishop Berry should 
insist in moving him, and although offered several 



BISHOP JOSEPH F. BEKEY 113 



charges to choose from refused to make a choice, 
and left the Conference session in high dudgeon. 

During his absence Bishop Berry presented to 
the Conference the request of C. P. Futcher to be 
allowed to withdraw. On motion of Gr. H. Bickley 
he was permitted to withdraw. It was ordered 
that his parchments be endorsed and returned to 
him. The Conference expressed its regret at his 
withdrawal. As Brother Futcher had never sur- 
rendered his ordination parchments, being in the 
same boat with the writer, who still retains his 
parchments, Erie Conference never daring to ask 
for their return, Brother Futcher was incensed 
at Bishop Berry's procedure and brought a civil 
suit against the Bishop to recover $30,000 dam- 
ages. Mirabile Dictu. Bather than stand this 
suit, Bishop Berry, in the face of the protests of 
his Cabinet, arranged matters so that there was 
a vacant pastorate at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, 
and appointed C. P. Futcher, a man who is not 
even a minister at all by virtue of the action of the 
recent session of the Philadelphia Conference, to 
that vacant pastorate. Thus again did "the end 
justify the means." 

How Bishop Berry's action will be regarded 
by the approaching session of the Philadelphia 
Conference when the roll of the Conference is 
called is a matter of conjecture. Possibly this case 
may reach even the next General Conference, 
where doubtless it will be emphasized that preach- 



114 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



ers must keep our rules and not mend them. 
Possibly our chief pastors, the Bishops, will be 
expected to adhere to this same code of rules. It 
is extremely doubtful if Pope Benedict the Fif- 
teenth would sanction such an act of any Bishop 
of his church who would presume to do a similar 
piece of fine work. 



PERSONNEL OF THE NEW YORK EAST 
CONFERENCE 

When the writer first eame to take work in the 
New York East Conference in April, 1886, a large 
number of distinguished pastors were then active 
in the Conference, all of whom long since have 
gone to their reward. Well does the writer recall 
the inspiration their noble lives gave him in his 
work. The erudite Dr. Daniel Curry, the impulsive 
Pullman, W. P. Corbit, the lion-hearted, the sweet 
singer in Israel, Joseph Vinton, the tireless 
worker, J. 0. Peck, the brilliant orator, John Rhey 
Thompson, the learned J. W. Beach, the intel- 
lectual Robert Crook, the practical C. S. Wing, all 
unique in their way, a source of honor, both to 
themselves and to the New York East Conference. 
Dr. J. M. Buckley still survives and long may this 
king of men continue to add luster to the New 
York East Conference. ' ' Till this day the Scepter 
has not departed from Judah," and great men 
continue to preach in the bounds of the old New 
York East Conference. So much "Bishop" tim- 
ber can be found here that with Drs. Downey, E. 
Mason North, Bartholow, C. W. Flint, F. W. 
Hannam, and so forth, the next General Con- 
ference will be so bewildered with the profusion 
of beautiful flowers that a choice will be a hard 
matter. So many men from this Conference can 

115 



116 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



worthily represent Methodism at Saratoga 
Springs, New York, May 1, 1916, that the election 
of delegates from the New York East Conference 
will necessarily result in the sending of a com- 
pany of " picked men." What with Drs. Buckley, 
Downey, Mains, Kelley, Eichardson, F. Mason 
North, Bartholow, Kavanaugh, Hannam, Flint, 
Dent, Groodenough, Upham, Layton and so forth, 
all eligible for election, who can prophesy which 
of these men shall return from Saratoga Springs 
with the crown of a Bishop on his head? 

That the delegation from the New York East 
Conference will add luster to the gathering at 
Saratoga Springs there is no doubt, that drastic 
legislation will be enacted there is a positive cer- 
tainty. The world moves, and Methodism is never 
behind the world — a church of progress with 
methods suited for the age is her aim. It will be 
a General Conference of sifting, and let us all 
pray that the chaff may be thoroughly blown away. 
The ideas expressed by the New York East Con- 
ference always receive attention. If unsavory 
things must be uncovered let the Biblical truth 
be quoted, "He that covereth his sin shall not 
prosper. " The world rushes on, and the King's 
business requires haste. We have excused sin so 
long, and covered up iniquity so carefully, that 
the very rocks and hills cry out for justice. Let 
the New York East Conference delegation be so 
fearless that evildoers shall cry out in their dis- 



NEW YOEK EAST CONFEBENCE 



117 



tress, and turn away from their sins. Justice for 
churches, a square deal for pastors, equity for 
everyone connected with the great Methodist econ- 
omy should be the watchword of the entire New 
York East Conference delegation at Saratoga 
Springs, New York. 



THE PASTOES OF THE METHODIST EPIS- 
COPAL CHUECH AS BOOK BUYEES 

All through his experiences in selling reference 
books, the writer has found that the Methodist 
Episcopal pastors and the Eoman Catholic priests 
were his best customers. Unlike the Eoman Cath- 
olic priest, who being unmarried is a law unto 
himself, the Methodist Episcopal pastor in most 
cases must consult his wife. Many a sale made 
to a Methodist Episcopal pastor has been upset 
by the wife. After a little experience in this line, 
the writer from prudential motives would sell the 
book jointly, so that the sale should not be upset. 
Born himself in a Methodist Episcopal parsonage, 
the author knows that in these places of residence 
money does not always grow on bushes. Conse- 
quently, in trepidation of spirit he approached 
many a Methodist Episcopal parsonage. Of one 
thing he might rest assured, a welcome hearty and 
sincere. For the average Methodist Episcopal 
pastor is given to hospitality. As eleven of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church Bishops, General 
Secretaries galore, College Presidents, Theologi- 
cal Seminary Professors, countless numbers of 
Methodist Episcopal ministers — over one thou- 
sand in all — have purchased the new "Century 
Book of Facts," the work of the writer has been 
wonderfully accelerated. Next to Methodist, the 

118 



PASTOKS AS BOOK BUYEKS 119 



Eoman Catholic clergy stand second on the list in 
number of books taken. The writer 's subscription 
book list has been looked over with wonder, both 
by Eoman Catholic priests, five of whose Bishops, 
several of whose College Presidents and hundreds 
of whose priests have taken the book, and by the 
Methodist Episcopal pastor who finds in the lists 
the signatures of his mates of College, Theological 
and even Preparatory school days. 

Some of the warmest friends of his life were 
made by the writer in the sale of books. A spirit 
of real self-sacrifice must be made by many of 
the Methodist Episcopal pastors, owing to the 
number of children in the parsonage, and also 
to the scanty salaries many of them receive. Many 
pastors of the Methodist Episcopal Church, like 
the monks of the Eoman Catholic Church, virtu- 
ally take the vow of poverty because they always 
serve in churches where the dividends are small. 
If our chief pastors and our other largely paid 
pastors followed John Wesley's command, and 
paid back into the Common Fund all over a living 
amount, how happy many a Methodist Episcopal 
pastor would be. But alas ! Selfishness rules in 
the high places of this world. Notwithstanding all 
of his financial drawbacks the Methodist pastors 
are good book buyers, and many of them possess 
good, growing better, and larger libraries than 
many men who have much larger incomes. The 
secret of the power and wealth of the great Metho- 



120 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



dist Episcopal Church Book Concern lies largely 
at the door of the faithful work and patronage of 
the humble Methodist preacher. 

During the present quadrennium the writer 
has tried to disentangle himself as far as possible 
from the chaotic state of affairs in which he was 
left by the action of the last General Conference. 
Through the advice of a prominent Methodist 
Educator, a supposed friend, Cooper was directed 
to a law firm in New York City which gave him 
encouragement that they would take up his case. 
At a meeting in New York City in March, 1913, 
it was agreed that Cooper should send this law 
firm all trial records in his case. The head mem- 
ber of the firm was personally to go to Minne- 
apolis, Minnesota, and to begin legal proceedings 
in the city police court, where Cooper had been 
illegally sentenced io ninety days in the workhouse 
and served the entire term. The writer secured 
the services of the stenographer of the book firm 
for which he had been working the past three or 
four years, and the stenographer made affidavit 
that she had both carefully wrapped, directed and 
sent those papers to the New York City law firm, 
with a carefully written return to Springfield, 
Massachusetts, in case they should not be de- 
livered. Presto change. The law firm wrote 
Cooper that they had decided not to take up his 
case. Those papers relating to his trial had dis- 
appeared from the face of the earth. Not even a 



PASTORS AS BOOK BUYERS 121 



tracer put on them in the parcel post department 
could reveal their hiding place anywhere, even 
when traced by the highest postal authorities ia 
Washington, D. C. Thus again did the "end 
justify the means." 

In the spirit of St. Paul when he said, "None 
of these things move me," the writer himself 
went on to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in June, 1913. 
Personally he went to the home of Judge Leary 
who had sentenced him, and talked the matter over 
with him as the Judge mowed his lawn. The 
Judge sent him to the City Attorney who had 
prosecuted the case, and he in turn said he would 
do all in his power to aid the writer get justice. 

As the Chief of Police was out of the city, the 
writer was brought before one of the "Captains." 
This man took off his hat and looking the writer 
straight in the face said, "Do you know me?" 
After looking at him intently the writer said, "I 
never saw you before in my life." "Yes, you 
have," said the police captain, "you accosted me 
near the auditorium in May, 1912, during the ses- 
sion of the late General Conference of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church. "Why did you not pull 
me in, if I did or said anything unlawful?" said 
the writer. At first the police captain was speech- 
less. As he saw the writer was not afraid of him 
he ultimately said, "Why have you come here to 
stir up trouble? People have forgotten your case, 
and you are a fool to revive it. You cannot get 



122 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



anything out of Officer Whitcomb as lie is a poor 
man. ' ' The City Attorney after offering to go with 
me to see Officer Whitcomb, who made the arrest, 
and the offer being declined went back to his office. 
The writer continued his work for the New York 
book firm and sold books in that same building 
(City Hall) to the public school authorities, whose 
Superintendent Jordan gave him a cordial 
hearing. 

The writer is still in the same quandary over the 
question, " Which is the more decayed, the police 
courts of the City of Minneapolis, or the Highest 
Ecclesiastical Court of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church ?" Outside of the writing of this book, 
which will make the whole American people his 
jury, no justice this side of the grave can be found 
for E. T. Cooper, except as the truth of this book 
convinces the public of the merits of the case. 




TRINITY M. E. CHURCH, POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y. 
Which called R. T. Cooper to be pastor in March, 1907. 



THE TEINITY METHODIST EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH AT POUGHKEEPSIE, 
NEW YORK 

One of the great churches of the New York Con- 
ference is the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church 
at Poughkeepsie, New York. To be appointed to 
that church is an honor which many men of the 
New York Conference covet. During his mem- 
bership in the Central New York Conference in 
raising funds for distressed churches, the writer 
visited this grand church, on several occasions 
preached in her pulpit, collected funds from her 
membership, and inspired hope in that noble 
church that if called to be her pastor the large 
debt at that time resting on her beautiful edifice 
should be paid. To be transferred to the New 
York Conference with conditions in his case as 
they were was nearly as difficult a task as journey- 
ing from earth to heaven. The way was always 
so hedged about. When Trinity Church at Pough- 
keepsie, New York, was going to have a change of 
pastors, the writer was in Central New York Con- 
ference busy either with grappling a large debt, or 
about to build a new church. A transfer at that 
time was out of the question. Finally by a course 
of "providential happenings, ? ' as has been alluded 
to before, Dr. E. M. Mills, of the Geneva District, 
was taken up for the work of one of the General 

123 



124 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



Conference Secretaries of the Home Missionary 
Society, Eev. C. E. Jewell, pastor at Geneva, was 
put on the Geneva District, and E. T. Cooper was 
assigned to be pastor of the Geneva Church. All 
the appointments were to take effect April 1, 1907, 
as Dr. Mills wanted to close his official work on 
the Geneva District with the dedication of the 
jWallington Church late in March, 1907, of which 
the writer was then pastor. By jesuitical in- 
trigue, already stated, Cooper's appointment to 
Geneva, New York, was cancelled. 

On the same day, March 22, 1907, a unanimous 
call from Trinity Church, Poughkeepsie, New 
York, was received. Even if the writer had been 
guilty of all that was alleged against him, what a 
mass of sin "in the final judgment day" will be 
laid at the door of Bishop Berry and his mis- 
guided helpers from the Central New York and 
Erie Conferences. The Eoman Catholic hierarchy 
in its darkest days would never have sunken so 
low as to employ the methods of Bishop Joseph 
F. Berry. By long practice in deceit and falsify- 
ing this about-to-be Senior Effective Bishop of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church has persuaded 
himself that if he can only keep out of the clutches 
of the earthly tribunals, God Himself may forget, 
and glossing over his sins may give him (Berry) 
an abundant entrance into "supernal glory/ ' 
Alas for Bishop Berry! "Those whom the gods 
would destroy they first make mad." Such an 



THE CHURCH AT POUGHKEEPSIE 125 



array of evidence against him will be before the 
Committee on Episcopacy that his best friends will 
be sure to advise him to resign his office, and thus 
save scandal to the church. As has been previ- 
ously indicated, Bishop Berry has a fat pile for 
the comfort of his old age, and can retire to his 
large farm at Bemis Point, New York, in the 
bounds of the dear Erie Conference. He can pre- 
vent his hired men from working on the Lord's 
Day, and stop further scandal to the eyes of the 
faithful pastor appointed to the Bemis Point 
Church, as he goes to and fro to the afternoon 
appointment of that charge. If we are to judge 
of the character of Bishop Berry by the weight of 
evidence piled up against him all over the church, 
he certainly is the most unscrupulous politician 
who ever presided over the affairs of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church. In other words, he is the 
Bishop who does the largest business on the small- 
est capital of any Bishop who has ever occupied 
that exalted position. 



EXPEEIENCES IN BUILDING AND FUR- 
NISHING THE NEW METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL PARSONAGE AT 
WELLSBURGH, N. Y. 

Probably next to Heaven itself, the sweetest 
place for a Methodist pastor to look forward to 
is the time when she shall enter a well-appointed 
parsonage home. By virtue of the fact that my 
predecessor at Wellsburgh, New York, the late 
Rev. C. E. Ferguson, lived in his own well-ap- 
pointed home in Elmira, New York, during his 
four years' pastorate in Wellsburgh, the writer 
found on reaching the charge no parsonage await- 
ing him. Brother Ferguson had done all in his 
power to complete the parsonage, but a dearth of 
money had blocked the enterprise. No suitable 
place being for rent in the quite little village, the 
Sunday School room stored the pastor's house- 
hold furnishings, and the church parlors made a 
temporary home for the pastor's family. Out- 
siders as well as insiders took an interest in get- 
ting that parsonage completed. It seems hard to 
believe that twelve hundred loads of stone, gravel 
and soil had to be carted into those parsonage 
grounds. At first carting bees were held, and the 
ladies of the church served sandwiches, doughnuts 
and hot coffee, and every available teamster was 
pressed into service. After a time volunteers 

126 



PAKSONAGE AT WELLSBURGH, N. Y. 127 

were hard to find. The next step was to get people 
for half pay. By and by no more of this class 
could be found. Then came the class who would 
work as reasonable as possible, and with the aid 
of this class the carting was completed. The writer 
has traveled miles in search of funds, authorized 
so to do by the presiding elder of Elmira District. 
How to furnish the parsonage after it was com- 
pleted was another task. The pastor and his wife 
were not the only ones who were anxiously won- 
dering where the means were coming from to fur- 
nish the new parsonage. One day while absent 
from home that question was solved by a dear old 
lady of the church, Sister Lockwood, recently gone 
to her reward. In company with another lady of 
the church she visited the church parlors, and with 
a face wreathed in smiles informed the pastor's 
wife that she had solved the mystery of furnishing 
the parsonage. With baited breath the pastor's 
wife listened. "We are going to have a committee 
of ladies go all over the town and get each family 
to give what they don't want from their own 
homes to furnish the new parsonage." As the 
pastor's wife had a little of the artistic in her 
composition, the vivid sight of these articles 
brought from all over the town and arranged in 
the new parsonage convlused her. Dear Sister 
Lockwood meant well, and her suggestion showed 
she wanted to help in the good work. 



128 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



When the new parsonage was opened for the 
dedicatory services by general consent it was the 
neatest and most elegant home for miles around. 
The following cuts will show our readers how the 
parsonage looked at this particular time. Prob- 
ably no home that the writer has lived in, either 
before or since, was half as sweet to him as that 
identical home. As he reverts to the time spent in 
those church parlors, as he remembers the excel- 
lent line of edibles sent from all over the town 
for the comfort of his family, he is obliged to 
say, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." 
Wellsburgh, New York, will always have a warm 
spot in the memories of the writer and his family. 



SOME PECULIAR REMINISCENCES OF 
THE MINNEAPOLIS WORKHOUSE 

To be suddenly taken without a moment's warn- 
ing from a life of activity and thrust into a gloomy 
dungeon for ninety days is an experience of a 
lifetime. A wag who was noted for his pithy 
sayings, on one occasion is quoted as follows: "I 
wouldn't take $1,000 for my experience; but if I 
had $10,000 I would give it up rather than have 
another experience like it." The writer thor- 
oughly endorses the above quotation, as it relates 
to his experience in the Minneapolis Workhouse. 
It has been a Chinese puzzle to the writer to ac- 
count for the gradual change which came over the 
officers and inmates of the workhouse toward him, 
from loathing and hatred to respect and admira- 
tion. Such was the case. The first few days spent 
in the workhouse were a literal hell on earth. The 
days seemed to have no ending. The nights were 
filled with frightful oaths and curses. The pris- 
oners in general looked alike, and in very truth 
they smelled alike. The daily routine of the prison 
was extremely monotonous, with but little to en- 
liven the gloom. Every letter coming in was first 
opened by the officers and read, every letter going 
out had the same fate. From the very first the 
writer sent his family one letter containing eighty 
dollars, and requested that there should be no 

m 



130 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



reply to it. Such an amount of money for an in- 
mate to have on hand, and to send to his family, 
to say the least, was quite unusual. The writer 
sent his firm one letter also, and arranged for the 
support of his family while in the workhouse. 
When Sunday morning came, being the time for 
writing letters, the writer always refused the 
paper and pencil furnished by the prison author- 
ities. Monday in the workhouse was called "pay 
day." 

The guards brought in pans filled with plugs of 
tobacco. Although a total abstainer from the 
weed, the writer always took his tobacco, but 
never used it. The other prisoners on noting that 
he never used his tobacco began to court his favor. 
Cooper soon became quite popular as he would 
halve, third and quarter the plug of tobacco, pass- 
ing it around among the favored ones. From 
week to week the prisoners would have a mortgage 
on that plug of tobacco, and Cooper got the good- 
will of many by his unselfishness in parting with 
the weed. Beading books and magazines was a 
pleasant pastime for the prisoners, although news- 
papers were not allowed to circulate in the cells 
of the prisoners. Some of the prisoners had seen 
better days, but most of them were from the lower 
strata of society. One other clergyman, a Ger- 
man Lutheran, was brought into the prison while 
the writer was a sojourner there. Periodical 
sprees was the cause of his visit to the workhouse. 



PECULIAE KEMINISCENCES 131 



As his cell was on the tier right over mine, I fre- 
quently heard a Eoman Catholic guard, who was a 
mutual friend of both of us, say, "Why don't you 
get acquainted with Brother Cooper? He is al- 
ways so cheery." The gloomy German would cry 
out, "This is Hell, no one can comfort me in this 
place.' ' After a few days of punishment, this 
German Lutheran pastor would go out on proba- 
tion, and resume his work in his church in good 
and regular standing, until his periodical spree 
would send him back to the workhouse again. 
Some cases of fathers of families being sentenced 
for sixty and ninety days was pitiful in the ex- 
treme. The wails and cries of the wives and chil- 
dren of these unfortunate men were truly heart- 
rending, but law is law, and punishment must be 
meted out to all transgressors of the law. Visiting 
day also had its sad side. Only two visitors came 
to see the writer during those ninety days — a 
Methodist Episcopal clergyman and a lawyer se- 
cured for the writer by the clergyman previously 
spoken of. There is very little justice in law when 
surrounded by the vilest intrigues. My righteous 
wish for Dr. J. B. Hingeley and his coadjutor 
Bishop Joseph F. Berry, is that both of them 
might spend ninety days in the Minneapolis Work- 
house, and that cells 240 and 241 might be their 
lodging places. "The Lord reward them both 
according to their work." 



132 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



One thing the writer learned to his profit during 
his stay in the workhouse — how to gather vege- 
tables, both for the workhouse, hospital and the 
Minneapolis City markets. Oceans of every kind 
of vegetables stared him in the face from day to 
day. It was a productive season that summer of 
1912. White onions were a blessing to the whole 
workhouse, and during the season were served 
three times a day, the best substitute for butter 
the writer knows of. The daily menu during the 
summer season at the workhouse was largely vege- 
tarian — consequently few cases of stomach dis- 
orders were reported. It would have been a pleas- 
ure to the writer and to many others to have had 
the breakfast hash analyzed, and to have the ratio 
of meat to vegetables set forth. The definition of 
faith in the epistle to the Hebrews would come in 
play, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped 
for, the evidence of things not seen," Positively 
the writer did not experience one sick day in the 
ninety days spent in the workhouse, for his diet 
for three straight months was vegetables, sup- 
plemented by bread and the concoction called 
"coffee" previously described. 



A EAPID TURNING OF THE KALEIDO- 
SCOPE IN THE ECCLESIASTICAL 
PROCEEDINGS IN THE CASE 
OF R. T. COOPER 

Late in June, 1908, after a conference with Dr. 
T. W. Douglas, district superintendent of New- 
castle District, R. T. Cooper on his way to East 
Northfield, Massachusetts, to move his family to 
Hillsville, Pennsylvania, called at the Episcopal 
residence at Buffalo, New York, on Bishop J oseph 
F. Berry. Here Bishop Berry showed the writer 
just a portion of a letter received that same morn- 
ing from Dr. Douglas in which matters previously 
spoken of in this book were set forth. On asking 
Bishop Berry what he would do if he were in the 
writer's position, the Bishop replied, "To save 
scandal I would withdraw from the ministry." 
"But I am innocent of the charges," said the 
writer. "I told the Erie Conference parties at 
the General Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, 
that there was nothing against Cooper in the Cen- 
tral New York Conference." As the Bishop had 
transferred me from the Central New York to the 
Erie Conference "his skirts were clean" up to 
this time. I gave the Bishop the plain assurance 
that after a visit to my family at East Northfield, 
Massachusetts, I should return to the Erie Con- 
ference to defend myself. On leaving Bishop 

133 



134 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



Berry lie said, "See Dr. 0. W. Holmes and get 
him to withdraw the charges.' ' That part of the 
Bishop's advice I refused to follow. By corre- 
spondence with Dr. Douglas I asked that Youngs- 
town, Ohio, should be the place of the investiga- 
tion. The return letter from Dr. Douglas said 
the investigation would not be held in Youngs- 
town, Ohio, but the place and time will be settled 
upon when I reached Newcastle, Pennsylvania, 
early in July, 1908. When I saw the bill of charges 
as handed me by Dr. Douglas in his own home, I 
said the charges should first be heard civilly. 
"Oh, no," said Dr. Douglas, "these parties have 
not yet proved their case against you. I desire 
to have everything kept quiet and have everything 
confined to Newcastle District." With the aid of 
another friend, Dr. Elmer Elsworth Higley, it was 
decided that the First Methodist Episcopal 
Church at Newcastle, Pennsylvania, should be the 
place, and July 14, 1908, should be the time for 
holding the investigation. All parties agreed to 
this because the writer was assured that both Drs. 
Douglas and Higley were his friends. The day of 
the investigation, July 14, 1908, arrived, and after 
challenging for cause two of the men selected by 
Dr. Douglas for the investigation (David Taylor 
and J. C. MacDonald), Dr. Douglas said, "I will 
go and talk with these men." He soon returned 
and said, "I have talked with these men, and they 
are all right to serve on the investigation. ' 9 As 



THE CASE OF K. T. COOPEE 



135 



the writer still objected to J. C. MaeDonald serv- 
ing, Dr. Douglas replied, "If I was going to be 
hung, I would as soon be hung by Dr. MaeDonald 
as by any other man." Dr. MaeDonald served on 
that committee, and proved the bitterest enemy in 
the case against the writer. At dinner time all 
of the committee on the investigation went to 
dinner with Dr. Douglas. Dr. Higley entertained 
Dr. Holmes and the three business men from 
Youngstown, Ohio, E. E. Miles, T. I. Jacobs, and 
W. J. Eoberts. E. T. Cooper had invited E. 0. 
Minnigh, his counsel, to dine with him. In the 
face of that invitation, Dr. Douglas tried to per- 
suade Dr. Minnigh to go home with him. E. 0. 
Minnigh dined at a hotel ivith R. T. Cooper. As 
we all left the First Methodist Episcopal Church 
to go to dinner it was with the expressed under- 
standing that after the dinner hour the Court 
would reassemble, and the verdict would be rend- 
ered. When Eev. E. 0. Minnigh and myself re- 
turned to the church after the dinner hour we 
found the church deserted, save that E. E. Higley 
came in to say that the Court had adjourned, and 
that I could secure the verdict at the home of 
Dr. Douglas. From Dr. Douglas the writer learned 
that E. T. Cooper had been suspended until the 
next session of the Erie Annual Conference at 
Jamestown, New York, September 2, 1908. Thus 
again did "the end justify the means.' 9 



136 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



As previously noted, the Conference trial at 
Jamestown, New York, expelled E. T. Cooper 
from the ministry and membership of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church, but not until after Bishop 
Berry on the eve of the trial had written to Bishop 
John W. Hamilton, President of the Erie Con- 
ference, that "fresh evidence had been discovered 
in the Central New York Conference against E. 
T. Cooper." Thus again did "the end justify the 
means." 

In spite of a letter protesting against the ap- 
pointment of Bishop Berry (Bishop Berry got a 
copy of that letter) and also protesting against the 
triers of appeal from the Genesee, Pittsburgh and 
West Virginia Conferences (Troy, Northern New 
York and Wyoming triers had been asked for), 
Bishop Berry, ahead of the civil proceedings, 
called the Judicial Conference to meet in Emory 
Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 9 and 
10, 1909. To show the animus of Dr. Elmer Els- 
worth Higley against the writer, who kept per- 
sistently demanding a copy of the Erie Confer- 
ence trial records in his (Cooper's) case, the fol- 
lowing letter will throw some light. 

Elmer Ellsworth Higley, 
108 N. Jefferson St., 
New Castle, Pa., October 10, 1908. 

Dear Brother Cooper : 

Your two letters came at the same time today. 
I am frank to say that I don't like the threatening 
tone of one of them. What matters it to me that 



THE CASE OF E. T. COOPEK 137 



you threaten trial? I am not in duty bound to 
furnish you with copy of testimony. The only 
copy I am supposed to make is the one for the Sec- 
retary of the Conference who sends it to the Ju- 
dicial Conference. At first I was disposed to give 
no attention to your threat, as it could have no 
bearing with me, but feeling sorry for you, as I 
have throughout this entire proceeding, I have 
finally concluded to make you a copy. It will be 
impossible for me to get it to you by the 10th inst., 
as today is the 10th, and your letter only arrived 
this morning. This demand is similar to your 
former one in that you fail to give time for a reply 
to reach you. 

I had no difficulty in making out my notes, and 
though you talked quite rapidly, I have your testi- 
mony in toto, I believe. I tried to be most care- 
ful, as I knew you would want all you said to go 
before the Court of Appeal, should you appeal 
the case. 

Let me whisper something in your ear that came 
to me from Youngstown. You need not intimate 
the source of your information. Mr. Miles, I under- 
stand, has said that if you carry this matter into 
the Civil Court he will have you arrested for 
assault and sent to jail. I don't know what there 
is of this and only give it for what it is worth. 
Have you heard anything? 

If you are an innocent man, Brother Cooper, I 
sincerely trust that you may be able to prove your- 
self such, not only for your own sake, but the sake 
of the cause. 

Wishing you well, I am, 
Yours sincerely, 

Elmer E. Higley. 



138 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



The reply of Cooper to Higley gave the assur- 
ance that as E. E. Miles was the criminal in the 
ease, according to the Ohio law, Miles and not 
Cooper was in danger of arrest. After five de- 
mands those Erie Conference proceedings came 
into the writer's hands. In the midst of the pro- 
ceedings in Emory Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- 
vania, March 9 and 10, 1909, E. S. Borland, coun- 
sel for the church, announced that if E. T. Cooper 
had remained twenty-four hours longer as a mem- 
ber of the Central New York Conference a bill 
of charges would have been preferred against 
him. Eev. S. F. Sanford, the writer's counsel, 
protested against this statement, and appealed to 
Bishop Berry, who presided, to deny it. As 
Bishop Berry had transferred E. T. Cooper he 
kept silence, and thus threw the whole weight of 
his Episcopal influence to down Cooper. By a 
vote of nine to four the triers sustained the ver- 
dict of the Erie Conference; the West Virginia 
triers, four in number, voted to give E. T. Cooper 
a new trial. Thus again did "the end justify the 
means." 

In the long period between March 10, 1909, 
the adjournment of the Judicial Conference at 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the meeting of the 
General Conference at Minneapolis, Minnesota, 
May 1, 1912, that man of ceaseless activities, 
Joseph F. Berry, was everywhere in evidence 
against the writer. By the judicial holding of 



THE CASE OF B. T. COOPER 



139 



"certain Annual Conferences' ' just prior to the 
General Conference of 1912 — the Central New 
York, Genesee, Erie, East Ohio and West Vir- 
ginia, Bishop Berry packed things against the 
writer. 

In February, 1912, a great Conference was held 
on "Personal Evangelism" at Eochester, New 
York, to which the district superintendents from 
Northern New York, Troy, Wyoming, Central 
New York, Genesee and Erie Conferences with 
T. S. Henderson, N. W. Stroup invited in to show 
the assembled district superintendents "How to 
win souls for Christ and to add thousands to the 
Kingdom of God." Is it any wonder that this 
large body of district superintendents as they 
saw the zeal of Bishop Berry, and noted that his 
whole soul glowed with fire for the salvation of 
multitudes of souls, should want him to return 
a third quadrennium to Buffalo, New York, and 
they should by a rising, unanimous vote request 
the approaching General Conference to so let him 
remain at Buffalo, New York? 

The chairman of one of the Conference delega- 
tions in Bishop Berry's Area told the writer that 
at the General Conference in Baltimore, Mary- 
land, in 1908, Bishop Berry moved heaven and 
earth for obvious reasons to have the Episcopal 
residence moved from Buffalo, New York, to 
Detroit, Michigan. Bishop Berry asked the chair- 
man how the delegates stood on his, Berry's re- 



140 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



turn to Buffalo, New York, for another quadren- 
nium. After some urging, the chairman replied, 
"Central New York Conference desires your re- 
moval, Northern New York, Erie and Wyoming 
Conferences are indifferent, and Genesee Confer- 
ence is willing for you to remain/ ' The Bishop 
thanked the chairman, but never was friendly to 
him from that dap. 

By the way of parenthesis, let it be said that 
Eev. S. F. Sanford, of the Elmira District, and 
Dr. T. W. Douglas, of the Newcastle District, 
chanced to get in early to Eochester, New York, 
that particular morning to attend Bishop Berry's 
meeting. On meeting casually in course of con- 
versation Dr. Douglas said to Dr. Sanford, "Eev. 
C. E. Jewell talked frightfully against Cooper to 
me at the General Conference in Baltimore, Mary- 
land, 1908." Thus again did "the end justify the 
means.' 9 



ODDS AND ENDS 

In well-conducted dry-goods and in all depart- 
ment stores there are periodical sales of odds and 
ends. As so many incidents have entered into the 
case of E. T. Cooper, it will be necessary in sum- 
ming up to make account of some of them in this 
chapter. One of the most diabolical events in 
Methodist ecclesiastical history was the meeting 
in the Todd House at Youngstown, Ohio, late in 
June, 1908, of the late Dr. 0. W. Holmes, at that 
time District Superintendent of the Youngstown 
District, Dr. E. E. Higley, both these clericals 
graduates of Drew Theological Seminary, the 
Alma Mater of the writer, and T. I. Jacobs, who 
was the only representative of the three busi- 
ness men of Youngstown, Ohio, T. I. Jacobs, E. 
E. Miles and W. J. Eoberts. The object of this 
meeting was to formulate charges against E. T. 
Cooper. Dr. 0. W. Holmes furnished the brains, 
Dr. Higley was the secretary and T. I. Jacobs 
acted as stenographer of that meeting. Charges 
so vile were drawn, beginning with "A certain 
man in Youngstown, Ohio, says, etc., etc." Those 
vile charges the conspirators and the Erie Annual 
Conference ever since have tried to keep under 
cover, and all records in the case as far as possible 
have been destroyed. At the Erie Conference 
trial at Jamestown, New York, September 3, 1908, 
Dr. Higley, who was the Secretary of the Select 
Number, stated that the Youngstown, Ohio, par- 

141 



142 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



ties, T. I. Jacobs, E. E. Miles and W. J. Eoberts, 
stipulated before the proceedings began that 
things were to be kept quiet, as these parties did 
not want them to get out in Yonngstown, Ohio. 

By mutual consent Cooper was to be chloro- 
formed and to die a quiet and painless death. Dr. 
0. W. Holmes signed that frightful bill of charges. 
Is it any wonder that Almighty God removed Dr. 
Holmes from the face of the earth? At this junc- 
ture let it be said that both Dr. 0. W. Holmes and 
Judge George F. Eobinson, who presided over the 
civil trial at Youngstown, Ohio, June 28, 1909, 
boarded at the Todd House, and consequently 
were well acquainted, and that Justice Day, of 
the United States Supreme Court, was a personal 
friend of Dr. Holmes. On the " passing' ' of Dr. 
Holmes, May 27, 1911, Mrs. 0. W. Holmes re- 
ceived a telegram of sympathy from Judge Day. 
So much for political pulls. E. T. Cooper still 
lives, yea, and will live on forever ! 

The conduct of Eev. H. C. Woods, of the 
Genesee Conference, who was Secretary of the 
Judicial Conference held at Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- 
vania, March 9 and 10, 1909, was characterized 
by the Committee on J udiciary, Eeport No. 24, in 
the daily Christian Advocate, Tuesday, May 28, 
1912, as follows: 

6 ' Though the case was ended in the Judicial 
Conference in March, 1909, at which time notice of 
appeal was given on the record, the Secretary of 
that tribunal did not at the close of the trial trans- 



ODDS AND ENDS 



143 



mit the records made and the papers submitted 
in the case to the Secretary of the last General 
Conference, as the Discipline directs. Indeed, the 
records and papers were not here when this Gen- 
eral Conference convened. On the appearance of 
the appellant it was necessary to send for those 
documents, and they have only reached the Com- 
mittee at the end of the session. Such delay in 
sending up records relating to an appeal cannot 
be justified, and must be condemned." 

When the Genesee Annual Conference met four 
months later on, the name of H. C. "Woods was 
called in open session of the Conference, where he 
passed as "blameless in life and conversation.' 9 
Why were those records held back? For the 
simple reason previously stated that neither the 
name of Bishop Berry as President, nor H. C. 
Woods as Secretary were on those records. There- 
fore E. T. Cooper was both unjustly and unlaw- 
fully expelled from the ministry and membership 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church on unsigned 
records. 

Now a few words about Eev. H. C. Woods. The 
writer first heard ivhispers about his immorality 
while travelling in the West. Not to wrong the 
brother the writer privately asked, both his pre- 
decessors and his successors as to the truth of 
those whipsers. The reports were so identical that 
they were believable. Eev. H. C. Woods was very 
suddenly transferred in the middle of the Con- 
ference year by that guardian of social purity, 
Bishop J oseph F. Berry, from Bath, New York, to 



144 JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



Albion, New York. Consequently Eev. H. C. 
Woods is somewhat indebted to Bishop Joseph F. 
Berry. Hence Woods held back those records. 
In view of these things did not "the end justify 
the means"? 

This incident connected with the closing ses- 
sion of Bishop Berry's Presidency at the Central 
New York Conference of 1907 still abides in the 
memory of many. It was a stormy session be- 
cause so many untoward things were done, some 
of which so displeased the amiable Bishop that he 
publicly excoriated a prominent woman in the 
Central New York Conference for her pernicious 
political activity in Conference affairs. This 
woman's father had been a war-horse in the Con- 
ference, and she had many friends among the 
preachers, some of whom shook their fists in the 
Bishop's face. The Bishop with equal grace 
might have also used the same treatment on a 
pastor's son, of whose brain the best judges 
claim "it is the size of an oyster's." This min- 
ister's son is always meddling in the private af- 
fairs of the pastors of the Conference, and his 
slanderous tongue is heard wagging all over the 
Conference. By Tammany Hall methods once he 
received an election as delegate to the General 
Conference, and ever since has been a perpetual 
candidate. Thus fish, good, bad and indifferent, 
swim about in the waters of the Central New 
York Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

Eeturns from the Spring Conferences presided 



ODDS AND ENDS 



145 



over by Pope Joseph the First show the following 
results: New Jersey Conference proclaims that 
Dr. M. E. Snyder, whose fate as financial agent 
of Pennington Seminary, at a salary of $3,000 per 
year, caused Bishop Berry to shed copious tears 
one year ago, is now district superintendent of 
Trenton District. 

We sincerely congratulate Dr. Snyder on re- 
gaining his home again. 

Bro. Brunyate, after a year of faithful work, 
was returned to his back-woods appointment for 
another year of service. 

The Philadelphia Conference re-stations Brother 
C. P. Fulcher at Phoenixville, Pa. Brother 
Fulcher is an apt illustration of the man who was 
"in and out and in again." 

Bishop Berry has the honor of having the tal- 
ented editor of the New York Christian Advocate 
in his Episcopal area, as Elm Park church at 
Scranton, Pa., has called Dr. Eckman to her pul- 
pit. Thus does Bishop Berry illustrate "The 
way to get rid of your enemies is to make friends 
of them. ' ' 

Bishop John W. Hamilton, of Boston, Mass., 
has recently discovered that he is one year 
younger than he thought he was. Possibly he will 
at the next General Conference contest with 
Bishop Berry the honor of being the senior effec- 
tive bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Bishop Hamilton strikingly illustrates that 
Scripture, "He that desireth the office of a bishop 
desireth a good work." 



A CLOSING WOED ON BISHOPS EECEIV- 
ING DEDICATION FEES 

Owing to the extreme tenderness of their hearts, 
our good Bishops often feel moved to make 
pledges to aid benevolent causes. Pastors do the 
same, and are obliged to pay the pledges out of 
their own pockets. As Bishops move about more 
frequently than do pastors, their calls for aid 
are more frequent. Here is a perfect recipe. At 
a dedication where the Bishop feels he has earned 
fifty dollars or one hundred dollars which he de- 
sires to apply to some benevolent cause, let the 
church giving the money present the Bishop with 
a receipt for the amount and let the cause getting 
the Bishop's donation give a double receipt, one 
to the Bishop, and the other to the donating 
church, which at the ensuing Annual Conference 
"in other collections" shall receive credit for its 
donation. A bad taste will then be taken out of 
the mouth of all parties concerned. Eecently 
while in the bounds of the Central Pennsylvania 
Conference, a pastor said some years prior to the 
passing away of the late Charles H. Fowler, this 
distinguished Bishop used to make appointments 
to Fowler Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, on this 
wise. There was a large debt on Fowler Church. 
Bishop Fowler was intensely interested in the 
payment of that debt. He is said to have offered 
the pastorate of that church on this wise, "Fowler 

146 



BISHOPS EECEIVE DEDICATION FEES 147 



Church will pay $2,500 salary. Brother Blank, 
you can have the charge if you will pay directly 
to me $500 per year for two years.' ' Also in the 
same connection the brother's place thus made 
vacant rated at $2,000 per year by the transfer to 
Fowler Church, is also sold for $500 per year for 
two years to a brother getting $1,200, thus $2,000 
comes into the coffers of Bishop Fowler for 
Fowler Church. Thus again does "the end justify 
the means." There are tricks in all trades save 
in ours. 



AN EXHORTATION TO THE DELEGATES 
OF THE NEXT GENERAL CONFER- 
ENCE AT SARATOGA SPRINGS, 
NEW YORK, MAY 1, 1916 

The old adage, "It is far easier to give advice 
than to profit by it, ' 9 is of ttimes true. Methodism 
is in great danger from the Board of Bishops. 
Elected to be the servants of the church, they have 
become masters of it. At the General Conference 
at Minneapolis, Minnesota, a delegate told the 
writer that he felt it to be his duty to take to one 
side a man in his own delegation who was running 
for Bishop, and plainly say to him, "My brother, 
I doubt it to be my duty to vote for your election 
because you are a man of such strong prejudices 
that you would crush the life out of a man if you 
got set against him." Under protest that man 
voted for Bishop — — , who was duly elected. 

Just before the General Conference at Los 
Angeles, California, in May, 1914, the late Bishop 
C. D. Foss, a good friend to the writer, whose son 
is named after that Bishop, held the Wisconsin 
Conference. Against the wishes and advice of 
the ivhole Cabinet he sent a brother to the large 
church at W and the man called by the offi- 
cials of that church was made presiding elder of 
that district. As the latter man gave the writer 
this information, we know it to be true. The 

148 



EXHOKTATION TO THE DELEGATES 149 



church at W locked the doors of the church 

against the appointed pastor. The presiding elder 
of the district journeyed to the Episcopal resi- 
dence at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; Bishop Foss 
was indignant against this caller who offered to 

take the church at W and let the pastor at 

W go on his district. "Better that one hun- 
dred of the best churches in Methodism should be 
blotted out, than that the will of a Bishop of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church should be set aside." 
However, a shift was made in the appointments 

and the brother at W was sent elsewhere. 

That ill-timed speech retired Bishop Foss, and 
also Bishop Walden was retired at the same Gen- 
eral Conference because he refused to receive 
a delegation, etc., of Milwaukee preachers regard- 
ing the appointment of a presiding elder to the 
Milwaukee District. Bishops are only primus 
inter pares and should not be tolerated when they 
go beyond their legitimate bounds. How neces- 
sary at this time it is for our dear Bishops to heed 
the admonition of the Scriptures not "to lord it 
over God's heritage, but to be an example to the 
flock.' ' 

The first duty of our delegates to the next Gen- 
eral Conference is to guard the interests of the 
church and not to become lachrymose over the 
case of some undesirable Bishop. When we return 
to John Wesley's idea of Bishop, and the work 
of a Bishop, we will be on safe ground, on a 



150 



JESUITISM IN METHODISM 



sure foundation of two orders in our ministry — 
8iaKovos Trpespvrfros DEACONS AND ELDERS— 
a tide of old-time revivals will again sweep over 
the church everywhere, and a common brother- 
hood of Methodist Episcopal preachers will again 
take up John Wesley's work of spreading Scrip- 
tural holiness over these lands. Delegates of the 
next General Conference, have the courage of your 
convictions. Put a Methodist Episcopal Bishop 
on trial for his sins. If found guilty, expell him 
from the church. If found inefficient, retire him 
from the church, and thus place the whole Board 
of Bishops under the seal of doing their best for 
Christ and His Christ. 

It is the inherent right of Bishop Joseph F. 
Berry if he is to continue as a Bishop of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church to have a clean bill of 
health from the General Conference. If completely 
cleared after a full investigation, he will go forth 
to his life work vindicated and strengthened for 
all that awaits him in his future career. 

Not until the last Methodist Jesuit has been 
driven out of the church will Episcopal Methodism 
be safe. Then perish forever from the face of 
the earth that diabolical doctrine of the devil 's, 
"THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS," which 
will put an end for all further ages of the need 
of setting up the "Holy Inquisition' ' in the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church. 

Finis. 



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